So Much For Retirement
by Shadow Ice Maiden
Summary: sequel to Safe House. What happens when the team gets pulled out of retirement because Koenma overlooked what would happen in at the next demon world tournament. Now the team's off to demon world to make sure no wackos win... Here we go again R
1. Here we go again

A/N: The Sequel to Safe House. I FINALLY got around to writing it and I thought of a plot!!! This one won't have as much mindless humor (which still leaves a lot of mindless humor when you think about it…) It takes place two years after Kaiya was born so if you read the Alternate ending and you know math you should know that Kurama and Aya's daughter, Kaiya is two, Yusuke and Keiko's Daughter Akemi is one and their son Hiroshi was just born a few months ago, and Hiei and Hikari's daughter, Hoshi, is one.

SIM: I own the world!

Kurama: No you don't…

Hiei: Tell the truth baka

SIM: but I don't wanna!

Hiei: glares at SIM

SIM: -sigh- Fine, as much as I wish I did, I don't own YYH. All I have is five ocs…

Kurama: That's better.

SIM: Anyway, the long awaited sequel is here! Aren't you proud of me?

Hikari: Not really…

SIM: -huffs- Just read it…

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Yusuke Urameshi slept peacefully beside his wife Keiko. Yes, the spirit detective was retired… FINALLY! He was happily married and with two children. Speaking of which, the newest addition of their little family chose that moment to wake up and start crying, waking the two parents up and in turn the other child, who also started crying. Yusuke sighed. He was starting to get used to this, but it was still irritating.

"I'll get Akemi, you grab Hiroshi." Keiko said groggily, standing up and walking over to her daughter's crib. Yusuke sat up grumbling and walked over to his son's crib. Yes, this was getting to be an everyday routine for the former spirit detective. He didn't like it at all… but that was the cost of having a family.

Eventually the two babies got back to sleep and in turn, the parents too slept. But this morning was different. Normally the two would get to sleep a little longer before Keiko had to go to school. Yusuke would play Mr. Mom, seeing as though he didn't finish his high school education, but Koenma had paid him for the missions (after much nagging…) so he and Keiko could afford a small apartment. Shihira, Hiei, Hikari, Hideki, and Ami all stayed in the 'Safe House' while Kurama and Aya moved out. Kuwabara and Shizuru went back to live where they did before the whole 'Safe House' fiasco. So did Atsuko, and Genkai and Yukina returned to the temple. Koenma and Botan went back to Spirit world.

As soon as Keiko and Yusuke were falling back into sleep, a tapping came at the window. They both shot up to see it was Botan and they immediately started making, 'Stop stop stop' gestures, seeing as though they just got the kids to sleep again. Yusuke got up and went to open the window.

"Botan, it's four in the morning. What do you want?" Yusuke asked icily.

"I know it's late and you're really tired, but Koenma needs to see you in his office ASAP." She replied, apologetically.

"Well you can tell him to go hump a tree, 'cause I'm not going. I'm RETIRED. Re-ti-red." He whispered harshly.

"I know, but it's really important. You and you're family, as well as anyone else with ties to your group, are in very real danger." Botan whispered back, just as harshly. Yusuke hesitated and looked back over to Keiko who was lying on her side facing them and propping her head up with her hand.

"Just go Yusuke. The world needs you." She said, rolling her eyes and sighing. Yusuke shot an apologetic look at her and turned back to Botan. He hopped out the window and onto her oar.

-Koenma's Office-

"What's this all about, Koenma. Perhaps you don't get the meaning of retirement." Yusuke shouted irritably. He walked in to the office to see Koenma sitting at his desk with Kuwabara, Kurama, Aya (holding Kaiya), Hiei, Hikari (Holding Hoshi), Ami, Hideki, and Shihira in the office.

"Thanks for coming Yusuke. Now that we're all here, let's get started." Koenma began. Everyone sighed in defeat. "I'm sure you all remember the demon world tournament about four years ago, correct?" They all nodded. "And as such, I'm sure you remember the winner, Enki, said they would hold another tournament in four years." Everyone took the hint and cringed. So much for retirement. "You know what I'm getting at. If someone like Mukuro or Yomi wins this year then there's going to be hell to pay, especially without the Kekai barrier to protect human world."

"And you didn't think about this, I don't know, four years ago while they were taking down the friggin barrier?!" Aya exclaimed, indignantly.

"We did think about it but I suppose it was a matter of, 'we'll cross that bridge when we get there.'" Koenma replied.

"So you want us to go and make sure no wackos get put in charge, right?" Yusuke asked, knowing he couldn't get out of this if he tried.

"That's the general idea, yes." Koenma sighed in defeat. He really didn't want to pull the team out of retirement, but they didn't have a new spirit detective yet, and they definitely didn't have someone who could go up against S class demons. Yusuke and company were the only option.

"What are we going to do with Kaiya?" Aya asked Kurama with concern.

"Fortunately, we did think of that. Genkai has been persuaded to look after them at her temple, and Keiko is free to bring Akemi and Hiroshi to stay there as well. Yukina's there and has volunteered to watch them." Koenma explained, happy that he wasn't being a total failure.

"Well, aside from that, I'm not getting left behind this time, but I can't compete. And aside from that, I'm really rusty. I haven't fought for two years. And I'd be missing school." Kuwabara stated.

"Yes, Kuwabara you're free to stay behind and guard the temple, just in case a wacko gets put in charge and some demons slip through before we can catch them. They'll most likely be low class and you and Genkai can take care of them easily. As for the rest of you, you will be training at Genkai's for two months. The tournament starts two weeks after that."

Sighing, the team nodded and walked out the door to their awaiting portals.

"This is gonna be just like old times! Right, Ami?" Shihira exclaimed, the only one excited about this.

"Suuuuure…" everyone replied sarcastically.

"This is gonna suck isn't it?" Shihira continued. Everyone nodded. Shihira thought for a second before exclaiming, "YAAY! We're DOOOOMED!!" Everyone face faulted, but Ayaka couldn't help but smile at Shihira'a attempt to cheer everyone up.

This was gonna be a long two months… here we go again…

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SIM: Yay! Sequel is in progress. This I've been thinking about for a while, and I actually got inspiration after finally relieving some pent up frustration on a sappy Naruto one-shot… It served it's purpose and now I bring you the continuation of my previous story, Safe House. Review please!!!

Hiei: You just love to torture us, don't you?

SIM: Yup, it's a habit. You'll turn that frown upside down eventually.

Hiei: I doubt that…


	2. Training Starts

SIM: Ch.2, written at 1:13 AM after I just had a coke and a Butterfinger so be prepared for randomness.

Shizuru: SIM's too poor to own anything

SIM: … Thanks Shizuru, that did wonders for my self esteem…

Shihira: Just get on with the torture already!

SIM: … O…k… Ch.2, here it is…

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_Koenma is so gonna get it as soon as I find some way to blackmail him into not damning my soul! _Ami thought to herself as she approached Genkai's temple with the rest of their little group. Here they were, trudging up all of those steps to get to the temple where they'll be worked to near death and then turned out to face s class demons in order to protect the universe… just another day for the now back in business spirit detectives.

"It's about time you dimwits got here!" The old psychic yelled from the top of the stairs. She was actually happy that her dumb ass apprentices had gone back to being spirit detectives. It meant all her work training them wasn't in vain. And it meant she got to torture them for the next two months. But she'd never let them know that.

"Alright, here's how things are going to work. Rule number one, no leaving the grounds without permission. Rule number two, I am your teacher, not your mother, and as such you will pick up after yourselves. Rule number three children will sleep in the Northern wing, men will sleep in the Eastern wing, and women will sleep in the Western wing." Genkai finished with a look that said 'go ahead and complain.'

"But, but that's not fair!" Ami exclaimed, earning her a few knowing looks.

"I agree! That's no fair! We're married, dammit!" Yusuke added.

"Don't kill me guys, but I can understand and kind of agree with Master Genkai's decision." Everyone looked at Kurama with looks that either said 'I'm going to kill you in the most painful way possible' or 'are you out of your freaking mind?'

"Did you hit your head on something, fox?" Hikari asked, extremely pissed at these turn of events.

"No, but think about it. If we worry about our significant others, we could get ourselves killed. Or on the other hand, if we don't get the required amount of sleep, Genkai might as well be training a bunch of monkeys. We're here to train so we can come back alive with a good king in demon world." Kurama explained, mentally hitting his head against a wall at having to be the voice of reason even when he really _really _didn't want to be.

"I see your point." Aya said, sighing hopelessly. The others grumbled back to their rooms, but they realized that they'd be risking their lives and they needed to be prepared.

"This blows." Ami stated bluntly.

"Well, after training, would you have enough energy to do your usual nightly activities?" Shihira asked, giggling at her friend's predicament.

"Good point." The other three admitted. Shihira, Ami, Aya, and Hikari were in one room while Keiko, Shizuru, and Yukina were in another and the boys were in their own room in the Eastern wing. They each had their own corner of the room. Each corner had a dresser, bed, and nightstand. There was a bathroom connected to each room and one closet. They unpacked their clothes and other items, and then went to sleep.

HHHHHHHH the next morning (first day of training) HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Aya was wrapped up warmly in her blankets on the mattress of her bed. She was sleeping peacefully, dreaming of pleasant things… when she was so rudely awoken by the blasting noise of an air horn at her doorway. It jolted her awake and she fell out of bed. She was soon joined by the grumbles and screams of her three friends. She pulled her head up to look at her alarm clock which read 5:00 am. The sun wasn't even up yet. This was just the start of their torture. After much protesting, they were led downstairs to the kitchen where they ate a quick breakfast before joining the boys outside who were warming up in the chilly morning air.

"It's about time, sleeping beauty." Hideki joked, earning him a glare from his mate. It was entirely too early for this.

"You will all start out with sparing each other. First matches are Aya and Ami, Shihira and Hikari, Hiei and Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara, and Hideki and me." Genkai called. They each started their matches. After those were done they each rotated. This continued until around noon when the matches paired up Aya and Kurama, Hiei and Hikari, Ami and Hideki, Yusuke and Shihira, and Kuwabara and Genkai.

-with Aya and Kurama-

Their match started and they began sparing just as they would any other of their teammates. But, it wasn't long before Kurama noticed how Aya's body moved as she dodged, or how sweat glistened on her forehead and neck. The fact that her fighting uniform revealed a little too much skin didn't help either. He wasn't the only one thinking this though. Aya's mind wandered as she fought. She was keeping up though, but things changed when the hottest part of the day came. Kurama called a time out so he could get a drink of water, and while he was on the sidelines, he decided to take his shirt off (SIM: Just imagine that for a second, fan girls XD) Aya nearly choked on the water she was sipping. They both returned to the fighting ring, and Aya's eyes kept drifting to his perfectly sculpted abs. Kurama saw this and smirked. He rushed at her and she attempted to block, but Kurama did a sweep and she fell backwards. Kurama pinned her and all she could do was glare up at his triumphant green orbs.

"That was so unfair." She stated indignantly.

"Oh really? Is it my fault you can't keep your thoughts in check?" Kurama chuckled.

"Oh don't even. I saw you checking me out earlier." Now who was laughing? Kurama blushed and cleared his throat. Aya used this moment to buck her hips, causing Kurama to leap up and back a few steps with a shocked expression.

"I can't believe you just did that! Now who's playing dirty?" he exclaimed, attempting to keep his emotions in check and hide his heated face.

"Oh, just call it payback." Aya replied, amusement clearly written in her eyes. She got back up and placed her hands on her hips. "You liked it anyway." She said as she walked over to the sidelines to get another drink of water. Before she could swallow, two arms snaked around her waist.

"Yes, actually, I did." The fox whispered into her ear causing her to gulp nervously. He placed kisses everywhere from her shoulder to her ear. Then all at once, he was gone. She gasped and whimpered at the loss of contact which made Kurama chuckle. He pulled his shirt back on just as the horn blew for them to come in for lunch.

PPPPPPPP- Back at the Temple- PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

The couple entered the temple and found everyone sitting down for lunch. Ami wasn't talking to Hideki, and both Kuwabara and Yusuke were brooding. Aya didn't even ask. She went to help Yukina bring out the food. Kaiya and Hoshi ran into the room laughing as Keiko walked in with Akemi and Hiroshi. Kurama scooped his daughter up and kissed her forehead before placing her in her seat at the table. He sat next to her and Aya sat on his other side, followed by Hikari, Hoshi, Hiei, Keiko (who was holding Hiroshi), Yusuke (who had Akemi on his lap), Hideki, Ami (who was turned away from Hideki), Kuwabara, Yukina, Shihira, Shizuru, Botan, and Genkai.

"So what happened to you two?" Shizuru asked Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Hn." They said in unison.

"You two have definitely been hanging out with Hiei too much." Hikari commented earning her a glare from said fire demon.

"Oh don't mind them. They're just upset because they got their butts kicked by a perky girl and an old lady." Shihira joked at their expense. The whole table erupted in laughter (including the two Urameshi kids) except for the two butts of the joke.

"Oh great, now you've turned my own kids against me." Yusuke moped. It was then that Ami got up and walked out the door into the forest. Everyone watched her leave and turned to each other with questioning looks.

"Hideki, what did you do this time." Aya asked with a glare. He sweat dropped at this and got up to go after his mate.

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SIM: Okay, I'm just gonna stop there. This chapter took forever! (1) I didn't have any time to write bc of school and homework and the thousand other things I'm doing (2) I just finished the 7th Harry Potter book (which was awesome in every sense of the word) and every time I had free time I was reading that (that was my fault actually… ehehe) and (3) I had it finished and then my sister restarted the computer so I lost it and had to do it over. 

Shihira: But that's still ur fault

SIM: -sigh- yeah, I know… On another note, this chapter was very KuramaXAya centric but the next one will be HidekiXAmi centric with a bunch of fluff there so yeah…

Kurama: Leave a review on your way out.


	3. In which stuff happens

SIM: Next chapter peeps!!!

Hikari: Don't do that.

SIM:-scowls at Hikari- Well I own nothing so don't sue me plz. Don't steal my ocs either. They're mine!!!

Last time on So much for Retirement: _"Hideki, what did you do this time." Aya asked with a glare. He sweat dropped at this and got up to go after his mate._

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"Bro, I think you should let Aya go after her. You just don't really have much of what we'd like to call tact if you know what I mean."

"What's that s'posed to mean?" Hideki retorted.

"It means you'll just make things worse. Aya knows how to put things to not make her mad. Not to mention she's a third person party and Ami's not completely pissed at her." Shizuru explained.

"Go ahead Aya." Hikari finished.

EEEEEEEEEEEE-With Ami-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Ami lay on her back in a clearing of the forest staring up at the clouds. She heard a twig snap in the trees.

"I know you're there Aya. You can come out." Ami mumbled, but Aya heard her perfectly. She moved slowly into the clearing and over to Ami who was on her side with her back to Aya.

"What happened chica? Did you have a fight with Hideki?" she said gently, sitting down next to her. Ami rolled over onto her stomach and turned her head to face Aya. She nodded.

"He doesn't love me anymore." She whimpered, tears coming to her eyes.

"Sweetie, that's impossible. I've seen the way he looks at you." Ami shook her head.

"We were talking about what we were going to do after the tournament. I said I wanted a family and he completely flipped."

"Hun, that's natural for guys like Hideki to be scared when us girls bring up the 'f' word. Hideki hasn't completely grown up yet. He's just scared. Did you hear what Yusuke did when he found out Keiko was pregnant with Akemi?" Ami shook her head. Aya giggled. "He passed out. Then when he woke up and he found out it wasn't some horrible nightmare, he puked. Keiko was really upset but it turned out Yusuke was just really scared of becoming like his father."

"You really think that's it?"

"I know it is. Let's go back and Hideki can tell you himself." Aya smiled softly. Ami nodded, whipping her tears.

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Ami and Aya walked into the living room of the temple. Ami to her room and Aya made a motion for Hideki to go talk to her. He got up and followed her to the room.

"What was that all about?" Keiko asked.

"Just a little misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about. They'll figure things out." Aya replied.

GGGGGGGG-With Ami + Hideki-GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

"Ami, what was that?" Hideki started, but he was cut off by his mate-to-be crashing into him and nearly tackling him to the ground. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waste. "You mind telling me what's going on?" he whispered to her. She pulled back, wiping fresh tears off her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I just was really scared when you freaked out. I know it sounds stupid, but I was afraid you didn't love me anymore."

"What? Ami, how could you even think that?" Hideki questioned with wide eyes.

"I told you it sounded stupid."

"Babe, it's not that I don't want a family. It's just, I have no idea how to raise a family."

"I know, and I understand. I'll wait until you're ready." Ami sighed. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a passionate open-mouthed kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and backed him up against the wall.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"This is getting boring… LET'S PLAY A GAME!!!!" Shihira shouted out randomly.

"What exactly do you suggest we play?" Aya asked hesitantly. The kids were in the playroom with Genkai, so she figured it couldn't hurt.

"How about… Never have I ever?" Shihira continued.

"I'm having de ja vu. Didn't we play that at the Safe House last time?" Yusuke asked.

"No, we played I've Never. There's a difference." Hikari replied.

"Oh, excuse me." Yusuke mumbled.

"Uhh… How exactly do you play?" Keiko asked cautiously.

"Well, it's set up like a game of musical chairs. Everyone has a chair except one person who will be the starter. The starter stands in the middle, and the others sit down in a circle around the starter. The starter now says "Never ever have I ever..." and then says something they have never done. Anyone sitting down who HAS done that thing must stand up and switch chairs. The person in the middle can grab a chair at this point. The last person standing is the next person to say "Never ever have I ever…" and repeats the game." Aya explained with a wicked grin that made everyone nervous.

"Sounds like fun." Yukina said with a smile. And so, they got forteen chairs and sat them in a circle. It was decided that Shihira would be the starter which caused many groans. She stood in the middle and smiled maliciously.

"Never have I ever… had a one night stand." A number of faces turned bright red. Aya, Kurama, Hiei, and Ami stood up and switched seats while Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan fell out of their seats laughing. Hikari and Hideki cocked their eyebrows at their individual significant others. They each cleared their throats and muttered 'demon world' under their breath. It turned out that Aya was the one who remained standing.

"Hmmm, never have I ever… gave someone food poisoning." She smiled and tried to hide a giggle.

"OI! THAT WAS ONE TIME!!!" Ami and Shihira shouted in unison. Grumbling they both got up and Ami remained standing.

"Erm… never have I ever… shoplifted." She said. Yusuke, Kurama, Hikari, and Shihira stood up and switched seats until Hikari was the one standing.

"Never have I ever… watched one TV show until I passed out from exhaustion." She said smirking. Aya, Ami, and Shihira got up, two of them grumbling while the other smiled in triumph. (Give you one guess who that was :p) They switched seats and Aya was up again.

"Er… uh… Never have I ever… been hit on by Kuwabara." She said, failing miserably in her attempts to hide her giggles. Keiko, Yukina, and Botan all stood up. Hiei and Yusuke both twitched and sent death glares at the carrot top while Shizuru swatted him upside the head. They switched around and Yukina stayed standing.

"Never have I ever… gotten drunk?" She almost asked timidly. Yusuke, Shizuru, Aya, Kurama, Hikari, Ami, Hideki, and Shihira all stood up and swapped around. Hideki remained standing.

"Never have I ever almost choked on a pixie-stick." Hideki shot out, turning red in an attempt to hold back his waves of laughter.

"You suck, Hideki." Aya stated simply. She got up and went to the middle of the circle.

"Never have I ever been in love with a serial killer." She stated. Shihira bounced up and to the middle.

"Never have I ever been a thief." She said. Kurama and Aya got up and Kurama went to the middle.

"Never have I ever fallen down the stairs in front of an entire clan of thieves." Kurama said, signaling out Aya with laughter in his eyes. Aya scowled at him before getting up and moving to the middle.

"Well, I'd say we should call it a day. You guys have early training tomorrow." Keiko said, stretching and standing up.

"That's probably a good idea. 'Night people." Aya agreed as she hugged Kurama and rushed off to be the first in the bathroom.

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The days passed much like this for the next nine weeks until the morning of their departure for demon world. Aya woke up early. That's never a good sign. She danced downstairs. That's a really bad sign. She skipped into the kitchen humming to herself. At that moment, everyone walked into the kitchen to see her cracking an egg into a frying pan. Gasps were heard all around. Kurama, Shihira, and Ami rushed to her side.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" Kurama questioned, feeling her forehead for a fever.

"I'm fine." The three looked at her skeptically, "No really, I just got up early today."

"That's what's scaring us." Hikari commented.

"What, I can't get up before 7:00 on a Saturday without there being some sort of apocalypse?" Aya asked sarcastically.

"YES!" everyone exclaimed in reply. Aya face faulted.

"I'm serious guys, I'm fine."

"No you're not. You didn't sleep at all last night." Shihira said.

"Shihira, shut it before I use _**that**_ picture on you." She clamped her mouth shut.

"What? Why?" Kurama asked.

"I just had a few nightmares is all. Nothing big." Aya went back to concentrating on flipping the eggs.

"What were you dreaming about? Tell me." Kurama pursued, taking the spatula out of her hand and giving it to Ami. It was immediately snatched out of her hand by Hikari. Ami pouted and crossed her arms.

"What were you dreaming about Aya?" Kurama whispered to her. She sighed and gave up.

"Soñaba con mi familia." (I dreamt of my family) This brought a guilty look to Kurama's face and he looked down, "Hey, it's not your fault. I miss them, but I chose to be with you. It's fine." She said, putting her hands on either side of his face and giving him a peck on the lips. She went back over to the stove and took the spatula from Hikari.

"So… what exactly is _**that**_ picture?" Hideki asked. Aya pulled out a picture from her jeans pocket and handed it to him. Shihira screeched and passed out while everyone else just smirked. It was a picture of Nny getting shot in the head. "Cheery, huh? But very effective when you want to get Shihira to shut up." They all chuckled a bit and then Aya served breakfast.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

After nearly ten weeks of intense training, it was finally time to head off to demon world. As such, each of the people who were leaving someone behind took these final moments to say their goodbyes. Yusuke was holding Keiko who was holding their two children. She was crying, but when she pulled back she smiled sadly and said, "You better come back this time. Preferably in less than two years." Keiko added playfully. Yusuke chuckled and kissed her gently before joining Ami, Hideki, and Shihira.

"I hate having to leave her here." Aya remarked sadly as she held her daughter close.

"It's only for a little while. Yukina will take good care of her." Kurama consoled. Speaking of Yukina, she was standing a ways off next to Kuwabara, Hiei, and Hikari and holding Hoshi.

"I'm warning you fool, if anything happens to them, I'm holding you responsible. If we come back and there's a single scratch, I swear I'll kill you." The fire demon warned.

"What he said. Take good care of them." Hikari agreed.

"Don't worry, everything will be just fine." Yukina assured them. The two parents nodded before Hikari kissed her daughter's cheek and Hiei ruffled her hair.

"Time to go guys!" Yusuke called to the four parents. Aya handed Kaiya over to Shizuru and followed Kurama up the path to the spinning yellow portal. She turned around and waved before disappearing into the void.

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SIM: Well that's it for that chapter. Pretty long-ish if I do say so myself.

Hiei: Not really

SIM: Shut itshrimp

Kurama: -sigh- leave a review please


	4. Kazoku

SIM: Ch. 4, ready to go

Hikari: Twirls finger

Sim: Thank you for your enthusiasm.

Kurama: -sigh- She doesn't own anything

SIM: Thanks Kura-kun, I didn't even have to ask you

Everyone: -rolls eyes-

SIM: Just a warning, I just got back from Hershey Park's chocolate tour and I've officially eaten my weight in chocolate so this is probably going to be VERY random… ehehe… good luck

JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ

"This was a bad idea. What if something happens to them? What if something happens to us? What if she has a bad dream? Did we give Yukina her teddy bear? Did we tell them what to do if she gets hurt or if she can't sleep? Did we leave them her blanket? What if-" Aya ranted as they walked to their hotel rooms from the portal.

"Enough Aya. It'll be fine. Yukina and Shizuru know what to do and can take care of Kaiya. Just relax. You're starting to annoy me." Hikari interrupted.

"Sorry, I'm just so worried."

"We know. It's ok, just relax and think about the preliminaries tomorrow." Kurama said, placing a comforting hand on his mate's shoulder.

"Let's just get up to our rooms and put our stuff down." Ami said. Luckily (as a favor from Koenma) the couples had the luxury of sharing their rooms with their significant others. So, Kurama with Aya, Hikari with Hiei, Ami with Hideki, and Yusuke and Shihira both got their own rooms. They each went up to their rooms to unpack and relax.

-With Hiei and Hikari-

"Aya did have a point though, didn't she?" Hikari started, "What if something goes wrong? I don't trust the fool taking care of my baby…"

"Oh don't start this. They'll be fine." Hiei replied, rolling his eyes. "Focus on your fight tomorrow. It'll be you against everyone else. You have to be ready."

"I am. We didn't train our asses off at the temple for nothing."

"Hn."

"Don't worry babe. You should worry about yourself for now."

"Now why would I do that when you're so much more important?" (aww, ooc moment!)

"Cause if you die I will bring you back to life and cause you extreme bodily harm." Hikari replied with a smile making Hiei sweat drop. He sighed and stepped forward, placing a hand on the top of her head and kissing her forehead.

"I'm gonna go get a shower, do you want to join me?" she whispered to him. He merely smirked and flitted to the bathroom connected to their hotel room.

-The next day-

"So here're the preliminaries. Each group will face off until there is one winner left. On my mark… ready… set… GO!!!!" and with Koto's say, the demons in each of the fighting groups started slashing relentlessly at each other… except for eight groups. Shihira and Hikari immediately fried everyone in their groups, Hiei unleashed the dragon of the darkness flame which ate everyone, Yusuke beat the living crap out of everyone in under a minute, Ami… went all Ami on them, Hideki sliced them all up, Kurama used his rose whip to… cut them in two, and Aya used her telekinesis to lift them up and throw kunai at them. Each of their battles were over in under two minutes.

"Jeez, all these weaklings piss me off. No challenge." Yusuke complained from the head of their little party.

"That'll probably change tomorrow. Remember, the preliminaries are just meant to weed out the weaklings." Hiei stated indifferently, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, we should… be… oh my god!" Aya exclaimed, causing everyone to look back at her. She was gaping at one of the monitors that were broadcasting one of the other fights that was still going. Frantically, she swatted at Shihira's arm to get her attention before pointing up at one of the top monitors. All of the girls gasped while the guys were all confused. On the monitor was a guy with black hair and sickly yellow skin who was wearing a black shirt with the symbol 'Z?' over a long-sleeved shirt with black and white stripes, black pants, and elaborate combat boots who was ripping demons to shreds with his strange knives. Then out of nowhere, Shihira squealed.

"I-I didn't think it was possible…" Ami stammered, also gaping.

"This is so weird." Hikari muttered.

"What is?" Kurama asked.

"That guy up there. He looks just like Nny…" Shihira answered dreamily. Everyone face faulted.

"Come on guys; let's get her back to her room before she goes ballistic." Ami suggested, sweat dropping. But, as they were pushing Shihira away from the monitor, a dagger hit where Aya's head would have been, had she stayed where she was.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Aya screamed. Everyone tensed and turned around to see a kitsune with blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail and blue eyes who was wearing a blue tank top with black capris.

"Long time no see Aya." She said, glaring at the mentioned girl.

"Yes, long time nee-chan." She responded weakly, shivering.

"NEE-CHAN?" Everybody except Kurama yelled.

"Ehehe… didn't I tell you I had an older sister? This is Kiya." Aya introduced.

"Yeah, that's all good and nice. I sure didn't expect to find you here of all places." Kiya replied. Out of the blue she grabbed Aya's arm and started dragging her off in some odd direction. Aya, panicking, grabbed Ami's arm, who grabbed Shihira's, who grabbed Hideki's, who grabbed Yusuke's, who grabbed Hikari's, who grabbed Hiei's and dragged them along with her. After a few minutes of everyone being dragged by someone, Kiya finally came to a stop outside a door of one of the boarding rooms. It was a master suite for people who brought big parties.

"Ayaka, drop that glamour." Kiya demanded. Aya started to protest, but she merely sighed and let her kitsune features show. As soon as she was finished, Kiya opened the door and shoved her in before following her inside and then allowing the rest of our gang enter. As soon as she entered, the entire room went quiet. It was then that they realized that the room was filled with kitsunes. After a few minutes of awkward silence, a middle aged kitsune with blonde hair that was pulled back in a clip and blue eyes came forward.

"A-Ayaka?" she whispered.

"Hi okaasan… how are you?"

"Where have you been? It's been… well, at least a thousand years!" a young bleach blonde haired girl kitsune shouted.

"AYAKA!!!" two younger kitsune's, one with blonde hair and blue eyes, the other with light brown hair and brown eyes ran up tackling her.

"Oh my gosh! You two can't be Gina and Hanako! The last time I saw you, you were up to my knees!" Ayaka exclaimed with a smile.

"That's what happens when you go away for a thousand years." A boy with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles said, glaring at her. (all of them are kitsune's)

"Um, I don't mean to butt in, but who are these people?" Shihira asked, returning to her senses at last.

"This is my family." Aya stated, "That's my mama, Reika," she said, pointing to the older kitsune who spoke first, "and that's my daddy, Ryouya" she continued, pointing to a kitsune with black hair pulled back into a ponytail and brown eyes, "that's my aunt Dai," she pointed to a kitsune with long dirty blonde hair, "those are her kids, Saburo and Bunko," she pointed to the girl who spoke before and an older boy who looked a lot like her who was also glaring, "That's my uncle Chion," she pointed to a guy with short light brown hair, "and his kids Junko, Ryo, and Hanako," she pointed to a short older girl with blonde hair and blue eyes who was glaring, a younger boy with light brown hair who seemed indifferent, and the girl who had tackled her before, "that's my uncle Masaru and my aunt Beniko," she pointed to a guy with blonde hair and a woman with light brown hair," and their kids, Chiyuu, Benito, and Gina," she said pointing to an older boy who looked just like Kiya, a younger boy who looked just like his older brother, and the other girl who tackled her, "This is my uncle Seiga and my aunt Chio," she pointed to an older guy with black hair and green eyes who was standing next to a woman with dark hair pulled up into a clip, "and their kids Chisa, the twins Tai and Gaku, and Genichi" she pointed to four siblings who were glaring at her, the girl who was older had straight dark hair and brown eyes while the twins both had lighter hair and brown eyes, and the other one was the boy who had spoken before. "This is my aunt Nana" she said pointing to a woman with curly light brown hair, "and her son Riku." She said pointing to a guy with bleach blonde hair, blue eyes, and a surfer's tan. "You've met my sister, Kiya."

"You've got a pretty big family, don't you?" Ami said, breaking the stiff silence that enveloped the room after she finished her explanation. Aya nodded.

"Ayaka, who are these people?" Reika asked.

"These are my friends." Aya replied, "Ami, Hikari, Shihira, Hideki, Hiei, and Yusuke. And this is… my mate… Kurama." Aya said hesitantly.

"YOUR WHAT?" Nearly every kitsune exclaimed at once causing Aya and Kurama to flinch.

"I guess this is a bad time for me to mention that you guys are grandparents, huh?" Aya said, pulling out her wallet and showing them the picture of little Kaiya.

"She's beautiful." Ryouya said. They passed the picture around to everyone.

"I'm an aunt?" Kiya half asked.

"Mmhmm."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly have you been?" Bunko asked sarcastically. Aya winced.

"Actually… you guys know I joined Youko's band of thieves 1500 years ago, but after 500 years, we decided to go to spirit world because we had a couple people in the gang who we wanted to ditch. Then Youko died and I followed him to human world where he was reborn as the red head over there." Aya explained.

"So… you mated with the legendary Youko Kurama?" Gina asked excitedly.

"Yeah…" Aya replied, blushing. Talking about mating with her baby cousins, aunts, uncles, and parents was a little uncomfortable, "I wanted to come back. I missed you guys so much, but it's hard to find a portal from spirit world to demon world, especially when you're wanted…" At this point, all the girls in the room were squealing while all the guys glared daggers at Kurama… not fun for Kurama. After a few minutes of silence, all the girls in the room squealed and tackled Aya to the ground. This gave way to the family of kitsunes partying late into the night while the other members of the group stood in a corner and looked on awkwardly, except for Kurama who was being 'welcomed' into the family. Eventually, the clock struck 10:00 pm.

"Oh wow, is it that late already? We should go back to our rooms, we have matches tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. We have matches too." Kiya said.

"Aya, can you stay over? We could have a sleepover!" Gina and Hanako exclaimed.

"I don't know, sweetie, I think it'd be best if I go back to my own room. It's not too far away, and we can meet up again tomorrow." Aya replied, already up and at the door, "I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck with your matches."

They walked out down the hall in silence, no one brave enough to make a comment. Eventually, they got to the hallway where their rooms were located, but before they could proceed, Ami turned around and hugged Aya around the neck.

"Aya, sweetie, I can feel how much you're hurting right now. You're gonna break down and we're not going to let you do that on your own."

"Yeah, I don't have to be an empath to see that you're upset. Don't bottle it up." Shihira added.

Kurama winced and started to move toward the hugging girls, but Hikari placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Kurama, sweetie, I think what Aya needs right now is some girl time. Before you object, it'll probably just be us watching a chick flick, eating some popcorn, and chilling with our two best friends."

"Puppies and diamonds?" Shihira asked, suddenly.

"No, Ben and Jerry. And maybe a bit of Edy." Hikari replied.

"Don't worry; we'll have her back in a couple hours." Ami added.

And so, all the girls went to Shihira's room (which thankfully wasn't pink --)

"So what movie do you wanna watch?" Ami asked.

"It looks like this place has A Walk to Remember, Sweet Home Alabama, and The Princess Bride." (me no own any of them)

"Let's go with the Princess Bride." Hikari said. Shihira popped in the DVD and pressed play. Ami came in with a bowl of popcorn and four pints of various Ben and Jerry's Ice creams with four spoons.

"Hey, why don't we change into our pajamas?" Ami suggested.

"That's a good idea; pause the movie, would you?" Hikari replied, and Shihira paused it.

And so, ten minutes later, they were all in their pjs. Shihira was wearing a blue button up top with matching pants and her hair in pigtails, Ami was wearing cotton pajama bottoms with one of Hideki's T-shirts (--), Hikari was wearing a black camisole with black cotton pants, and Aya was wearing a red teddy with black lace around the edges that she got for her bachelorette party (-insert shifty eyes-) and a black silk robe. Ami was sitting on the edge of the couch with Aya leaning on her and Hikari leaning on Aya from the other side. Shihira was sitting on the carpeted floor, leaning against the couch. And so, the four girls laughed, cried and threw pillows at each other for the next two hours. Eventually the movie ended and Aya was feeling a lot better.

"We should probably go back to our rooms. I can't leave Hideki waiting all night." Ami said, giggling.

"Yeah, Hiei's gonna be pissed at me if I don't get back. You'll be alright, right Aya?" Hikari added.

"I'll be fine. Besides, Kurama's probably worried…" Aya replied, "What about you Shihira? You going to bed?"

"Nah, I'm gonna go over to that party and see if I can find that hot guy from earlier." She answered. The others just rolled their eyes and giggled. They each left the room and went back to their own rooms.

Aya hesitated at her door. She reached her hand towards the handle. Silently she opened the door a little and peaked through. There she saw Kurama laying on the bed in sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He was attempting to read a book, but it was easy to tell that he was failing miserably. Smiling, she opened the door and leaned against the frame.

"Knock knock." Kurama immediately put his book down and sat up.

"Hey." He said. Aya entered the room and closed the door behind her, locking it as she stepped forward. She climbed onto the bed and sat on his legs.

"Aya, listen, I-" Kurama was interrupted by Aya's lips on his own. Eventually, she pulled back and smiled at him.

"Don't worry about it. I don't blame you."

"I love you." He replied.

"I love you too babe. More than anything. You've given me everything. I have great friends, a great house, and a beautiful daughter. Not to mention the love of my life with me through everything. And now I have my family back." She kissed him again and pulled back giggling. "You know, Kaiya's back at the temple, Hikari and Ami are with their guys, Shihira's off trying to catch herself a guy, and Yusuke sleeps like a log."

"What exactly are you implying?" Kurama asked with a smirk, knowing perfectly well what she was getting at.

"Hmm… I don't know, maybe that there's no one left to interrupt us, just incase we wanted to have a little fun tonight." She replied in a husky voice. She crawled farther up so she was straddling his waist. She leaned over and kissed him again, shrugging off her robe, before he flipped her over onto her back, making her squeal against his lips.

"It's been far too long, baby." Aya muttered, panting heavily as he started kissing down her neck.

"I second that emotion."

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"So… what's your name?" Shihira asked as she sat down next to the guy from earlier at the bar.

"Who wants to know?" he replied.

"Name's Shihira. I saw you fight earlier."

"Well then Shihira, I'm Datenshi." The guy replied.

"Well Datenshi, you wouldn't happen to be a Nny fan, now would you?" she asked, looking him over.

"He's only my idol. Who knew a human could be so… demonic?"

"I know. He's awesome. So, would you want to dance with me?" Shihira asked as Black Parade came on over at the dance floor.

"Why not? Always happy to please and fellow Johnny fan." He said, making Shihira giggle.

_I think I may have finally found my guy!_ She thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

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SIM: I'll just leave it there. So there's some HikarixHiei stuff, some AyaxKurama stuff, and Shihira might actually get her guy. Not to mention we met Aya's family.

Shihira: NO! Why'd you have to leave it off there? TT

SIM: Well, we have to leave a little suspense, now don't we?

Shihira: CURSE YOU SUSPENSE!!! –Pouts-

Yusuke: I wasn't really in this one much…

SIM: Well, fear not Yusuke lovers, there'll be cool stuff next chapter. And probably some badly written fight scenes…

Ami: Leave a review on your way out!


	5. Uh oh

SIM: Okiday, this be the 5th chapter. How fun. Be prepared, this will most likely consist of cheesy fight scenes and fluff… that's about it…

Shihira: Do I get to see Datenshi again?

SIM: -snickers- That's for me to know and for you to find out.

Datenshi: SIM owns nothing.

Shihira: DATENSHI!!!! –Tackles the poor Nny fan-

Everyone: … --;

SIM: So yeah, enjoy the chapter…

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It was the second day of the demon world tournament and Yusuke was up to bat… so to speak… The gang was watching in their box and getting ready for their fights. The demon that Yusuke was fighting was really strong. It was a snake demon (lol, Nikki) and he was much faster than the detective. The snake's tail whipped around and slammed into Yusuke's stomach. He flew back and landed on his back on the ground.

"Okay, this guy is starting to piss me off." Yusuke mumbled to himself as he got up once again.

"Come on Yusuke, kick this chump's ass!" Shihira shouted from their box.

"Hun, he can't hear you." Ami reminded her.

"I know, but it makes me feel better to yell at something." She replied.

"Hello all!" an unmistakably chipper voice called from the doorway. They all turned to it and saw the grim reaper herself shifting her feet and looking really nervous.

"Hey Botan… what's wrong?" Aya questioned upon noticing her flustered appearance.

"Oh nothing… I just only have about an hour at most left to live…" she replied.

"…Why's that?" Shihira asked. Botan stepped out of the way and there stood Yusuke's wife, Keiko Urameshi, with her hands on her hips.

"… You're right Botan, Yusuke's gonna kill you…" Ami commented. The ferry girl groaned loudly.

"Keiko, what are you doing here?" Kurama inquired.

"I wanted to see my husband… why else?" Keiko replied.

"Umm, you do know that this is demon world and if any demons catch you here they will kill you and/or eat you, right?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah, I know…" Keiko replied.

"Well, uh, Yusuke's kind of busy right now…" Hideki stated, glancing over at the TV. Yusuke was once again on his back and the snake was about to bring his tail down on him for the finishing blow when Yusuke rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, the snake moved faster than Yusuke could roll and he struck him in the chest. Keiko gasped. Yusuke didn't get up for a while, but when he did, blood dribbled from his mouth and he was panting loudly. The snake demon whipped his tail around again and nailed Yusuke smack dab on the side of his head. He landed hard on the arena floor and rolled a couple of times. If he got hit one more time with that, Yusuke wouldn't be able to get up again… ever, and Keiko knew it. So when the snake began to swing his tail down, Keiko screamed out as loud as she could, "YUSUKE URAMESHI IF YOU DIE I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!" Yusuke jolted his eyes open and rolled out of the way before firing his spirit gun at point blank range, blowing the pathetic demon's head clear off.

"Keiko?" he muttered to himself. _What the hell is she doing here? _

"And the winner is Yusuke Urameshi." Koto announced, but Yusuke was already sprinting towards the team's box. He burst through the doors in time to see his wife turning around with an extremely irritated expression.

"Keiko? What are you doing here? It's not safe." He asked, concern and a bit of irritation printed on his face.

"Apparently she's saving your ass." Hiei commented.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, almost getting yourself killed?" Keiko hissed. Yusuke winced.

"Erm, uh…well…" The detective stammered. Keiko sighed.

"Yusuke, I came because I wanted to show you this." She held up a videotape. Yusuke looked confused but put the tape in anyway. On the screen was Keiko with Akemi sitting in her lap. Keiko sat the toddler on her feet and she balanced for a few seconds before placing her tiny foot in front of her. Then she put the next foot in front of the other and so on with Keiko spotting her until she finally fell back into her mom's arms.

"She took her first steps?" Yusuke murmured.

"Mmhmm." Keiko replied with a nod and a smile.

"I missed her first steps?" Yusuke continued. Keiko nodded again, a little sadly, "I guess that's what I get for coming out of retirement. I'm gonna kill Koenma." He said, raking his fingers through his gelled back hair.

"Don't worry, you still have her first words and Hiroshi's first steps." Keiko consoled, wrapping her arms around her husband's torso. He nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"How long are you going to stay for?" he asked.

"Well, actually, Botan and I should probably get back. I don't want to leave all the chores to Yukina, Shizuru, Genkai, and Kuwabara. Be careful, ok? And don't you dare get yourself killed." Keiko warned menacingly.

"I won't, don't worry." He kissed her goodbye and she left through the box door followed closely by Botan who was just super glad to escape with her head.

(SIM: Special thanks to Fullmetal alchemistress for giving me the idea. You rock! –Tosses her the plushie of her choice-)

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Hikari was walking down the hallway towards her room. She needed to grab her katana because her next fight was up soon. She was about to open her door when she sensed an unfamiliar energy standing behind her.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Hikari. You're mate seemed adamant about not letting us meet." Came an unmistakably feminine voice. She turned around to see a tall woman with orange hair who had the right side of her face covered by a cloth.

"Is that so? And who might you be?" Hikari replied.

"My name is Mukuro. Hiei was my right hand man before the first demon world tournament." She answered.

"Hmm, interesting. I'm surprised Hiei never mentioned you."

"He wouldn't now would he?" Mukuro replied.

"No, I suppose not." Hikari shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"To tell the truth, I didn't find out about you until I got here."

"Hiei didn't mention me?" Hikari asked.

"No, and he didn't think about you much either."

"How would you know that?"

"Hiei opened his mind to me almost as soon as he met me. I had full access to his thoughts." Hikari's eyes widened slightly at this, but she kept her composure.

"Is that so? Well, I don't mean to be rude, but my next fight is coming up in a few minutes and I need to warm up."

"Of course, I'm sorry to keep you." Mukuro replied before disappearing. Hikari entered her room and punched the wall before grabbing her katana and rushing down to the arena.

-Hikari's fight-

She was mad. No, mad was when someone stole her Hershey's chocolate. Enraged described her current emotion, and Ami noticed this as soon as Hikari entered the ring.

"Guys, this is bad. Hikari's pissed." She informed the rest of the gang.

"Why? What happened?" Aya asked.

"I can't tell, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say that anger is pointed at Hiei…" Ami continued with surprise.

"What'd you do this time?" Shihira asked the shocked fire demon.

"I don't know…" he said and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before being struck with realization. "Shit."

Hikari was facing some strange, nameless demon. Her fight didn't last long. The demon swung at her and she grabbed his fist. Fire spread up his arm until he was completely covered in flames. She glared at his ashes before turning her gaze to the gang's box, or more specifically, Hiei. This brought that whole "If looks could kill…" thing to mind because if they could, Hiei would die a very painful death.

"I don't know what you did, but I would suggest you apologize, and fast." Yusuke muttered. Hiei gulped and nodded.

-With Hikari-

She stormed down the hall and threw open the door to her room. Though the fight was good anger management, it didn't even scratch the surface. Unfortunately for her, the object of her anger was standing right there when she walked in. She groaned and shrugged out of her jacket.

"Do you mind telling me why you're pissed so I can apologize for it?" Hiei asked, groaning inwardly.

"I met your friend, Mukuro today." She replied. Hiei sighed.

"I figured. What'd she tell you?" Hiei replied.

"Oh, nothing much, just that you were her number two, you never mentioned me, and, oh yeah, you let her into your mind as soon as you met her. Funny, it took you a couple years for you to even let me into your head for a few seconds. Interesting…"

"She told you that, huh?"

"Yeah, and I don't see any particular reason for me to distrust her."

"I won't deny that I let her into my head. I don't even know why I did. But nothing happened between us." Hiei explained.

"So why didn't you mention me? And better yet, why didn't you think about me at all?" Hikari retorted, on the verge of tears.

"Because… because… I don't know." Hiei stumbled, rubbing his sinuses, "I missed you. It's hard to miss things you don't think about." Hikari just huffed and shot him a defiant glance.

"If that's true, why'd you care whether or not I met Mukuro?"

"Because Mukuro is a manipulative bitch! She twisted everything around because she's jealous!" Hiei exclaimed.

"Right." Hikari replied sarcastically.

"It's true. Why else would she track you down just to tell you something like that?"

"I don't know, but apparently I don't know her as well as you do!" Hikari shouted back. Tears were leaking out through the mental dam she had put up. Hiei took a deep breath.

"Hikari, I know you're upset, but please just hear me out. I don't give a rat's ass about Mukuro. I worked for her for a time, but that was because I had to, not because I wanted to. She doesn't mean anything to me, especially not compared to you. I love you." (wow, he's starting to get all ooc on us… eep.) Hikari sighed.

"I really wish you'd told me."

"I'm sorry." Hiei hesitantly took a step towards her. Hikari walked the rest of the way and wrapped her arms around his torso. She sighed again.

"I love you too." She leaned back to take a look at his face and then leaned forward and met his lips with her own.

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The next few days were eventful. Aya beat Kiya, Kurama beat some cat demon, Hikari beat Hideki, Mukuro beat Ami, Ryouya beat Hiei by a hair, and an unknown masked fighter beat Yusuke. Aya faced Kurama in the next match and it went on for a couple hours with much laughing and pulling dirty tricks. Aya won out in the end though. The next match was Hikari and Mukuro and needless to say, Hikari was still pretty pissed at the former lord of demon world. She beat her in a few seconds. Mukuro is still in the hospital. (-evil smirk- never did like her) The fight after that was Ryouya against the unknown fighter. The fighter pulled a strange technique that no one had ever seen before. The semifinal fight was Aya and Hikari. Aya won out in the end, most likely because Hikari was spent from her battle with Mukuro. It was now the final battle, Aya vs. the unknown fighter. Aya stood in one corner while the fighter, who was wearing a black cape with the hood over her face, stood in the other. The fight dragged on for hours until finally Aya passed out and the fighter was dubbed the winner.

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Aya blinked her eyes open and groaned at the light coming in from her window. Looking around, she saw white… lots and lots of white. It was definitely a hospital room. She sat up slowly and winced as pain shot through her head.

"Hello Sleeping Beauty. How are you this afternoon?" the teasing voice of her beloved red-head chimed from the doorway. She glared over at him which made him chuckle.

"What time is it?" she groaned.

"Just after three. You've been out for a few hours. Nothing too bad, but I suspect you're head's hurting." Kurama replied.

"It feels like I got hit in the head with a sledgehammer."

"Well, lucky for you, I have something that'll make you feel better." At his statement, Aya narrowed her eyes skeptically. When he was this amused, that generally meant whatever the cure was wouldn't be pleasant for her.

"And that would be?" Kurama chuckled again and pulled out a vile filled with a thick brown liquid that just radiated disgusting. Aya took one look at it and nearly puked.

"No way." She responded.

"Well, it's your choice. If you like the feeling of your head being bashed in, then by all means, don't take it. But, if by chance you want to feel better without being drowsy, high, or only slightly better, I'd suggest you drink it."

"Fine, but if I die, I'll haunt you forever." She took the vile and sniffed at it suspiciously.

"Now, would I poison you?" Kurama replied, feigning hurt.

"You never know…" Aya trailed off but placed a finger on her chin, feigning thought.

"Just drink it." He sighed. Aya hesitantly pinched her nose and brought the vile to her lips. She took a swig and swallowed before coughing loudly.

"Ewwwwww. That was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted." She shuddered.

"Yes, but does your head hurt?" Aya froze and thought about it for a second.

"Hey, you're right! My head doesn't hurt at all anymore! Thanks babe!" Kurama face faulted.

"Well, if you're cured, then perhaps we should go see the closing and find out who our new leader is." The red-head suggested.

"Okay, let's do."

-At the Closing Ceremonies-

"And here she is, our new queen!" Koto announced from on stage. The unknown fighter walked on stage and took a microphone from some random demon, "Would you like to take off the hood and let us look at the face of our new queen?" The unknown fighter seemed to smirk for a second before all at once throwing off her cloak and standing with a hand on her hip and the other one holding the microphone to her lips.

"Hello all of you demons out there. I'm your new ruler. My name's Akira Tashitare, but you may also know me as the warrior of the damned." Akira had long black hair that cascaded in ripples to her knees. She wore a black corset with red ties, black leather pants that were cut up to her thighs and tied together with red string, and black combat boots with red accents. She was pale and lean; her eyes glowed red. The crowed broke out in whispers of excitement or awe. Some of the younger demons looked confused, but Aya and Kurama simply looked at each other and said, "Oh shit."

"Oh shit is right dearies. You didn't really think that I was gone, did you?" She laughed once and smirked devilishly, "My first act as ruler is to get rid of these trivial tournaments." The crowed quieted and looked apprehensively between themselves, "My second act is to repeal the laws against messing with human world. Go there and feed to your heart's content. Without the kekai barrier, you all can go through without any trouble." Half of the demons cheered, but the other half looked skeptical.

"What about the spirit detectives? They'll never let us get away with that!" a random demon shouted.

"Yes, I was hoping you would ask that. I order you, as your queen, to apprehend the Spirit Detectives and bring them to me. I'd prefer you leave them alive, though. As a reward, I will give you a wish to do with as you please."

"What's going on here guys? Who's this crazy bitch?" Yusuke asked, clearly unhappy with having a bounty on his head… again…

"Escape now, explain later." Hikari exclaimed as the hoards of demons got closer.

"Hikari, get us out of here." Ami demanded.

"Way ahead of you." She replied. A yellow portal opened and Ami, Hideki, Yusuke, Shihira, Datenshi, Kurama, Aya, Aya's family, Hiei, and finally Hikari jumped through.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

SIM: Ok, I'm going to stop there. Explanations are coming. I'm sooooo sorry that it took so long and this chapter is only eight pages but I'll update again soon. I had serious writers block and when I finally wrote it, my sister restarted the computer and I lost everything. –sigh-

Shihira: That's your fault! Why didn't you save it?

Everyone: Yeah!

SIM: Erm… uh… Kurama, help me out here!

Kurama: Uh, I'm staying neutral.

Aya: -sigh- Leave a review.

SIM: Oh, and I realize that Hiei is mondo ooc in this chapter. It's not because I'm being cheesy or that I haven't watched the whole series or whatever. Trust me, I've watched the show all the way through about 50 times since I got the whole thing on DVD last Christmas and I know that Hiei would never say that stuff **in the anime**. It's supposed to show that it's the future and Hiei's softened up a bit (though only Hikari knows that) from being mated and having a daughter. He's still cold to everyone else, but the point is, this is his mate and Hikari (I.e. my friend Allyson) wouldn't stick around if he was a jerk to her. Just in case that annoyed you. If you didn't have a problem with it, just disregard this note.

Hiei: -glares- I hate you.

SIM: -under breath- It's not my fault you're too afraid to show public affection.

Hiei: I heard that

SIM: -sweat drops- Uh… gotta go, byes! –Runs from Hiei who's chasing her with his sword drawn-


	6. Mafia

SIM: WOOT! Chapter 6. This one's pretty long and it's got a lot of stuff in it. It's a mix of comedic random stuff and plot. So yeah…

Datenshi: You didn't have us in the chapter at all last time –glares-

Shihira: Yeah, I feel so unloved!

SIM: Well, sorry! At least you're in it.

Kurama: SIM owns nothing. Enjoy the chapter.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

_Last Time:_

"_Escape now, explain later." Hikari exclaimed as the hoards of demons got closer. _

_"Hikari, get us out of here." Ami demanded. _

_"Way ahead of you." She replied. A yellow portal opened and Ami, Hideki, Yusuke, Shihira, Datenshi, Kurama, Aya, Aya's family, Hiei, and finally Hikari jumped through. _

The portal opened and everyone fell out. The only problem was the portal was about ten feet in the air.

"Owwwww. Hikari, couldn't you have gotten it a little closer to the ground?" Shihira whined.

"Ah, quit complaining. I got ya outta there didn't I?" Hikari groaned, rolling off the top of the pile.

"Easy for you to say. You're not at the bottom." Ami mumbled, crawling out from under the mass of thirty something people on top of her.

"So what do we do now?" Hiei asked Kurama.

"I don't know…" Kurama replied, for once, out of ideas.

"We go back to my village of course." Ryouya answered.

"But… isn't that where they'll check first?"

"No Yusuke, there's a spell on my village. No one can find it unless they already know where it is. Not even the jagan can find it." Aya explained.

"Ok, so how are we supposed to track across demon world when every demon in it is after our heads?" Hideki asked, causing everyone else to face fault.

"We can't fight our way through demon world. That's insane… I mean more so than I already am." Datenshi added.

"Don't worry. This'll get us back." Reika said, holding up a necklace with a pendant that was a jade elven star and was engraved with a demonic language, "Just touch it or grab on to someone who's touching it." They all reached forward to touch it and those who couldn't grabbed on to someone and in the time it took to blink, they were standing in a village square.

"That was quick…" Yusuke mumbled.

"We're home!" Junko exclaimed and giggled. A woman on the street noticed them and broke out grinning.

"The King has returned!" she exclaimed and more people poked their heads out of doors and windows. They were soon surrounded by kitsunes of every shape and size. They made their way through the crowed until they came to a gate that opened for them and closed behind them.

"KING?" the spirit detective team exclaimed.

"Ehehe, I didn't tell you? Well, erm… yeah, I guess, sort of…" Aya stammered.

"So that makes you the princess?" Hideki pondered.

"Yes, I suppose it does." Aya replied, attempting, and failing miserably, to hide the blush on her face.

"So why'd you leave?" Datenshi asked earning him a swat upside the head from Shihira, "What?" She motioned to Kurama and he got an "Ooooooooh" look on his face. She rolled her eyes.

"I think plenty of explanations are in order, but don't you think it would be more fitting if we explain after you all get some rest, get cleaned up, and change into some fresh clothes." Reika suggested.

"Okay…" they replied and were ushered up the stairs and into separate chambers where the maids cleaned them up, set out pjs, and showed them where everything was. A few hours later, maids went up to alert them that dinner was served.

"It's about time! I'm starved!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"You're always starved." Hikari muttered, earning her a glare from the spirit detective.

"Yeah, well having a bounty on my head again gives me an appetite." Yusuke grumbled darkly.

The eight of them, led by various kitsune maids, came to a rectangular table that was set for twelve people. Sitting down already were Ryouya, Reika, Kiya, and Aya. Kurama sat next to Aya and then Hikari, Hiei, Ami, Hideki, Yusuke, Shihira, and Datenshi followed.

"So I suppose you all have questions?" Aya asked hesitantly.

"You bet." Ami replied. Aya sighed.

"Of course you do." Aya groaned. "So what do you want to know?"

"How are you a princess?" Yusuke asked.

"Because her dad's the King, duh." Shihira replied.

"Yeah, but you don't act like any princess I've ever heard of…" Yusuke continued. Aya face-faulted and laughed nervously.

"Ehehe, well, I never really wanted to be a princess. I was… rebellious. And I had 1500 years to forget the laws of etiquette, what with always hanging out with a band of thieves and stuff." She smiled over at Kurama.

"But that poses another question. Why would you pick the life of a thief over the life of a princess?" Kurama questioned. His face looked puzzled.

"Well I got more out of it than just the life of a thief, didn't I?" Aya retorted, smirking at Kurama, "And aside from that, I wasn't needed here. My dad's the king, my sister's the heir to the throne, and my dad and my grandma have the gift so there was no need for a seer." Aya chuckled a little at this. Hikari just looked skeptical.

"You had a vision, didn't you?" she stipulated causing Aya to face-fault again.

"Erm… uh… maybe?" Aya stammered.

"…Did you?" Kiya asked.

"Ok, so I had a vision. But it was just a small one! Nothing really! Just a glimpse of what might have been!" Aya exclaimed, blushing. Everyone shared looks that clearly said, 'why is she blushing?'

"Uh, what exactly did you see?" Hideki asked.

"Erm, well I saw Youko's gang and becoming a bandit and… uh… some other stuff." As she said this she blushed about three different shades.

"What kind of stuff?" Kiya asked.

"Uhhhhh…" Aya frantically shifted her gaze from side to side resting any one place for no more than a second.

"Spit it out Ayaka." Reika ordered. Aya closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"ImighthaveseenmyselfmatingwithYoukoandhavingakid…" she exclaimed faster than some could comprehend. Kurama got it though, and so did Hikari, Hiei, Ami, Hideki, and Shihira who all fell down laughing.

"You saw me?" Kurama clarified. Aya just nodded.

"It didn't work out exactly the way I originally saw it, but I suppose it did in the end…" Aya added.

"Yes, I suppose it did." Kurama agreed. Ryouya, Reika, and Kiya simply shared confused looks among themselves.

"Ok, well, shouldn't we be focusing on the people trying to kill us?" Datenshi asked.

"Oh yeah…" Ami pondered.

"So what'd you guys do to that Akira chick anyway?" Hikari questioned.

"Well, she's sort of Trixie's younger sister…" Kurama answered, fidgeting with his napkin.

"…"

"Really?" everyone asked.

"Yeah, I know, she doesn't look anything like her does she?" Aya commented.

"She's the exact opposite in personality, too. Non-superficial, rebellious, power hungry…" Kurama explained.

"Not to mention the fact that she hated your guts and wanted to overthrow you…" Aya added.

"Why's that?" Hiei asked.

"Because he took the time to think things through. Akira's impulsive; a

Strike while the iron's hot' kind of person. She didn't like to wait. So she led a rebellion challenging Youko's leadership. We beat her of course and then she left the guild. Trixie didn't seem to care…" Aya elaborated.

"But that's probably why she really wanted to capture us. She wants the privilege of killing us to herself, and the fact that we killed her sister just adds to that…" Kurama continued.

"Ok, first, it's getting creepy how you guys keep finishing each other's sentences and, second, what the hell are you guys talking about?" Kiya questioned while her parents just stared at them with looks of confusion. Everyone face faulted.

"Yeah, I have no idea what you guys are talking about either." Datenshi added.

And so they spent the next couple minutes explaining the fiasco with Tadashi and Trixie and the Safe House that occurred two years ago.

"Wow…" Reika muttered.

"You sure know how to get yourself into trouble. That probably came from my side." Ryouya chuckled.

"Now the question is… where… we… go… from…" Aya stopped mid-sentence and her eyes glazed over. With each passing second, the horror struck look on her face grew more predominant until her eyes refocused and she whispered, "No" to herself. Tears sprung to her eyes and she turned to Hikari before anyone could ask what happened.

"Can you create a portal from here to Genkai's temple?" Aya demanded, on the verge of hysteria.

"Yeah, but why? They can't be…" Hikari replied, worry painted on her face.

"Just make the portal now." At her words, Hikari created a yellow portal and they stepped through to the backyard of the temple. What they saw made all of them scream. Flames engulfed the temple and licked at the stone patio.

"My baby..." Hikari muttered, her throat tightening. In less than a second, Hiei, Hikari, Aya, Kurama, Yusuke, Ami, Hideki, and Shihira were inside the temple, doing their best to not breathe in the smoke and frantically searching for their loved ones.

"Keiko!" Yusuke cried frantically.

"Hoshi! Hoshi, can you hear me?" Hiei and Hikari were calling.

"Over here guys, I found them!" Hideki called after a few minutes of searching.

"Oh my god, is everyone alright?" Ami asked. There, barricaded in the nursery, were Genkai, Shizuru, Botan, Keiko, Akemi, Hiroshi, Hoshi, Kuwabara, Yukina, and Kaiya all huddled together inside a barrier that Genkai was erecting. Keiko and Botan looked to be passed out and a nasty bump was steadily appearing on Botan's forehead.

"What do you think, dimwits? My temple is on fire and I assume it's your fault!" Genkai called back. She let down the barrier and Aya grabbed Kaiya who was trying her hardest not to cry, Hiei grabbed Hoshi who was balling, Yusuke grabbed Keiko, Ami grabbed Akemi and Hiroshi, Hideki grabbed Botan and together they all ran out of there as the ceiling started to collapse. They all leapt through the portal that was still open leading them straight back to the palace where Aya's parents and sister were still waiting, looking confused and a bit worried.

"Phew, I never thought we'd get out of there…" Kuwabara exclaimed in relief.

"What happened anyway?" Shihira asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"We were all just doing what we normally do during the day when a band of demons attacked. Genkai and Kuwabara took care of them, but one of them set the temple on fire. Shizuru, Botan, Keiko, and I were in the nursery with the kids. Kuwabara and Genkai came in to save us, but by then we were surrounded in flames." Yukina explained, still a bit shaken from the experience.

"Who are these guys?" Kiya asked.

"Erm… where are we anyway? And who are they?" Kuwabara questioned.

"Kiya, these are some more of my friends from human world. This is Kazuma Kuwabara, but we call him Kuwabara, and these are Yukina, Botan, Yusuke's wife Keiko, Kuwabara's sister Shizuru, Yusuke's kids Akemi and Hiroshi, Hiei and Hikari's daughter Hoshi, and this little one who I'm extra super proud of is your granddaughter Kaiya." Aya said motioning to each one and finally to her daughter that was currently clinging to her for dear life, "Kaiya, this is your Grandma Reika, Grandpa Ryouya, and Auntie Kiya."

"Oh, she's so cute!" Kiya exclaimed and went over to hold her little niece. Kaiya was hesitant at first, but at her mother's soft smile, she aloud herself to be passed to her newfound aunt.

"To answer your question, Kuwabara, we're at the village where Aya is from and these are her parents and sister." Kurama proceeded to explain to him and the others what had happened since the demon world tournament.

"So pretty much every demon in demon world is now out for our heads?" Kuwabara clarified.

"Yeah, pretty much." Yusuke replied.

"I think the best thing to do for now is to hang here until we think of a plan. We should call Koenma and tell him what's going on. He'll send people to look after everyone else in human world." Kurama suggested.

"I like that idea. It's been so long since I've been home." Aya exclaimed, stretching and yawning.

"Hey, Aya, while you're here you should go visit your grandparents." Ryouya suggested.

"That's a good idea. They can meet their little great-granddaughter." Kiya added.

"So it's settled then. Take Kurama with you." Reika announced, handing Kaiya back to Aya and pushing her and Kurama out the door.

"Wait up Aya, we'll go with you!" Ami called from behind them and everyone followed them out the doors into the city. They walked out into the sunlight and immediately the kitsunes in the street turned their heads.

"It's lady Aya. Lady Aya has returned." One said.

"Hello," Aya smiled, "It's good to be home."

They walked along the streets until they got to a large manor. Aya, with Kaiya in her arms, walked right up to the door and knocked on it. Kurama and the others followed them up to the door and waited. Soon, Gina opened the door.

"AYA! Come here everybody, it's Aya!" Gina shouted ecstatically. Soon they were all ushered in.

"Hey guys! So how do you like the village so far?" Tai asked with a chuckle.

"'S cool, though we haven't seen much of it." Ami replied.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Junko asked.

"Actually, we came to see grandma." Aya responded with a smile.

"Who's at the door guys?" an elderly voice called.

"Come here grandma, you have visitors!" Gaku called.

"Who is… it…" Aya's grandmother started before she got a glimpse of Aya. A smile broke across her wrinkled face.

"Ooooh! Ayaka! My little Ayaka!" she ran forward and engulfed the girl in question in a hug.

"Hi grams. I missed you." Aya responded with a smile. She pulled back and smirked, "And now I'd like you to meet a few people." Aya's grandma looked confused for a second before looking behind Aya and seeing the group of new faces.

"Ah. So these are your friends, right? The one's from human world. Hmm, let's see. Ami, Hideki, Hiei, Hikari, Shihira, Datenshi, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yukina, Keiko, Shizuru, Akemi, Hiroshi, Hoshi, Botan, and my new grandson-in-law, Kurama, correct?" she recited, pointing to each of them respectively, "And this is my little great-grandaughter! Oh, she's so cute! You picked well, Aya." Aya blushed and looked away.

"I should have known you'd know…" Aya muttered and turned to her friend's confused faces, "This is my grams, Mora. She has the gift, like me. I assume she's been checking up on me ever since I left, right?"

"Yes, I just had to know what you were up to." Mora replied, taking Kaiya from Kurama and cooing to her.

"Hey, just out of curiosity… if you guys are Aya's family, why don't you live in the palace?" Yusuke asked.

"The palace is mainly used for business. Hearings and banquets and such are held there and the rare guest stays there, but I spent most of my childhood here. My mom lives here too, and my dad when he can get away." Aya explained, "You guys will be staying here tonight. You didn't turn my room into a bar or anything, did you?" She asked, turning to Kiya and Gaku.

"No, it's exactly the way you left it. Kuro-chan wouldn't let us anywhere near it." Kiya replied. A broad smile stretched across Aya's face.

"Kuro-chan's still here? I would've thought she'd leave after I was gone so long!" she exclaimed before turning and running up the stairs. When she returned, a little black sugar-glider rested on her shoulder.

"What is that?" Kuwabara asked.

"She's a demon sugar-glider." Aya replied, cuddling the small mammal.

"She's so cute!" Shihira exclaimed.

"She's older than I am which says a lot." Aya replied.

"Maybe you should show your guest to their rooms, Aya. That would be polite." Mora suggested, but Aya got the slight sense that she was being scolded which made her feel like she was a little kid who just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Needless to say, it brought back memories.

"Ehehe, right. Um… follow me." She led them up the stairs, took a right hand turn, went up more stairs, took a left hand turn down a hallway to a dead end that had one door on the left, one door on the right, and one door on the far wall.

"Girls on that side, guys on that side, there's the common room." Aya explained briefly, bracing herself for the complaints.

"What? Why do we have to be in separate rooms?" Shihira asked.

"Because my grandma lives here and she will know if you do anything and she will probably scold you about it tomorrow." Aya offered with a smile.

"Ugh." Yusuke groaned.

"Relax guys; you probably won't even use your rooms tonight anyway."

"Why not?" Shizuru asked.

"Because we're gonna party kitsune style." Aya replied. Kurama started viciously and stared at her with wide eyes. Aya simply busted out laughing, "No babe, the other kitsune style. Get your mind out of the gutter." Kurama blushed and cleared his throat.

"What was Kurama thinking about?" Ami asked, giggling.

"Well, a lot of kitsune parties involve an abundance of alcohol, really loud music, grinding, and… well… other activities." Aya explained, "But that's not what I was referring to, Yusuke, so don't get your hopes up."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Yusuke asked while everyone else laughed their heads off.

"So anyway, chill here for a while and I'll go get things set up." Aya said before going back downstairs.

"Okay then…" Keiko commented before going in the girl's room.

---That Night---

The spirit detective squad and friends came out of their rooms at exactly 6:00, turned and knocked on the door to the common room where this 'party' was to be held. Aya opened the door and motioned for them to come in. Already inside were Kiya, Junko, Saburo, Bunko, Ryo, Hanako, Gina, Benito, Chiyuu, Chisa, Tai, Gaku, Genichi, and Riku. There was a dance floor in the middle of the room and a table of every kind of food you could imagine.

"Whoa…" was pretty much everyone's response. A mix was playing of various and mostly random songs. Everyone laughed and danced for a few hours before Bunko came up to Aya. She leaned over and whispered something into Aya's ear. Aya's face brightened and she nodded furiously.

_'Uh oh'_ Kurama thought. '_This can't be good.'_

Just as he had suspected, Aya went up to the microphone.

"Okay everyone. Seeing as everyone is getting a bit tired, we are going to play a game." Aya had a glint in her eye that made Kurama groan inwardly, "It's time to play MAFIA!!!" Upon hearing this, Hikari, Ami, and Shihira got really excited, Hideki and Kurama chuckled, and everyone else just looked confused.

"Um… what's mafia? Isn't that a criminal organization?" Yukina asked.

"It's a roll playing game. Everyone takes a card and whatever card you get tells you what role you'll play. If you get the Ace you're the mafia, if you get the Queen you're the angel, and if you get the King you're the cop. Anything else is a villager. Don't tell anyone who you are and try not to talk while you're playing. I'm going to be the narrator. I'll tell you what to do when we get into the game. So," Aya explained, taking out a stack of 26 cards, she walked around and gave one to each person. She then went back outside the circle that everyone was sitting in and took a deep breath.

"One dark and stormy night, a mafia broke out of prison. He escaped to this village and is hiding among you. Everybody go to sleep." Aya narrated. When she said sleep, everyone who knew how to play closed their eyes and looked down.

"Mafia awaken." The person who had the Ace looked up, "Point to the person you would like to kill." The person pointed to another person in the circle, "Mafia, go to sleep." The person closed their eyes and looked down again, "Angel awaken. Who would you like to save?" The person who got the queen looked up and pointed to someone before going back to rest position, "Angel, you can wait till I say 'go to sleep' you know." Muffled giggles spread across the circle. "Cop awaken. Who do you think is the mafia?" The cop looked up, deliberated for a moment, and then pointed to someone. "Cop, go to sleep. Everybody wake up." Everyone lifted their heads. "Last night, the mafia snuck into… Junko's room. They suffocated her with cellophane and dismembered her." Junko fell down dramatically and everyone who had never played before started and looked up at Aya with wide eyes while the rest laughed at the newbie's reactions. Aya smirked a little, but then put a hand over Kiya's head. "Who thinks Kiya is the mafia?" eight people raised their hands. She then continued this for everyone else. "I'm sorry Kiya, popular vote says you're the mafia. You've just been hung."

"Greeeaaat." She said sarcastically and scooted back out of the circle.

"Everyone go to sleep." Aya commanded, "Mafia awaken. Who would you like to kill?" The mafia pointed. "Mafia go to sleep. Angel awaken. Who would you like to save?" the angel pointed. "Angel, go to sleep. Cop awaken. Who do you think is the mafia?" The cop pointed. "Cop, go to sleep. Everybody wake up." Everyone looked up. Aya sighed dramatically. "Late last night, while we were all in bed…"

"Old lady Leerie hung a lantern in the shed…" Kiya supplied.

"Well, that too, but that's a different story. In this one the mafia snuck into," she turned to Yukina, "…Yusuke's room."

"Wait what?" Yusuke asked, obviously expecting Aya to say Yukina, not Yusuke.

"The mafia snuck into your room, bashed your head in with a sledgehammer, and left." Aya said with a smile.

"Ouch." Kuwabara commented. Yusuke scooted out of the circle. Everyone voted for who they thought was the mafia and Kuwabara ended up getting run out of town by an angry mob. "Alright, everyone go to sleep. Mafia awaken. Who would you like to kill?" They pointed. "Mafia, go to sleep. Angel awaken. Who would you like to save?" They pointed. "Angel, go to sleep. Cop awaken. Who do you think is the mafia?" The cop pointed. "Cop, go to sleep. Everyone wake up. Early this morning, as the sun was peaking over the horizon, Tai was thrown out of his third story window and landed on his head on the concrete." Aya called for a vote and Genichi was drowned in the river."

"Don't we feel special…" Genichi commented as he scooted back.

"Everyone go to sleep…" It went on like this for a while with many people getting impaled, drowned, strangled, decapitated, dismembered, and in one case castrated. Finally it was down to Hiei, Yukina, Kurama, and Riku. "Mafia waked up. Who would you like to kill?" They pointed. "Go to sleep. Angel awaken. Who would you like to save?" They pointed. "Cop awaken. Who do you think is the mafia?" They pointed. "Cop go to sleep. Everyone wake up." Everyone looked up.

"This afternoo-" Aya started.

"Why is this guy attacking in broad daylight?" Riku interrupted.

"Because there's only three other people left." Aya replied. "Anyway, this afternoon while everyone was asleep… The mafia snuck up on… Kurama while he was sleeping and pushed the TV over on to him and he was electrocuted."

"Wha? Now that's not very nice…" Kurama commented.

"Wait, I'm not finished. Then out of nowhere, the angel appeared and brought him back to life. So you're still alive babe." Aya continued.

"Okay…"

"Anyways, who thinks Hiei is the mafia?" everyone else raised their hands.

"Well… it looks like you've just been pushed off the nearest cliff Hiei. Now everyone go to sleep. Mafia awaken. Who would you like to kill?" they pointed. "Angel awaken. Who would you like to save. Angel go to sleep. Cop awaken. Who do you think is the mafia? Cop go to sleep. Everybody wake up. Okay so this morning the mafia snuck into Riku's room. They led him up to the third floor and then beat him to death with his skateboard. Sorry."

"Aw man. Hope he didn't hurt my board."

"…"

"Alrighty then. As it appears that there are only two people left. I declare that the mafia wins. Congratulations Yukina!"

"YUKINA!?" Everybody exclaimed.

"Who was the angel?" Kurama asked.

"That would be me." Hiei answered holding up the Queen of spades.

"Okay that's creepy."

"Who was the cop?" Yukina asked.

"Ehehe… that was me…" Ami said.

"Okay, you stink." Shizuru commented.

"Ehehe… this has never been my best position. Usually I'm the angel or I help Aya narrate…

Looking around, Aya noticed that everyone else was already asleep.

"I guess we should turn in. Just pull up a blanket somewhere." She announced. And so everyone fell asleep.

--The Next Day—

"Good morning!" Bunko shouted in Aya's ear causing her to roll over on top of Kurama who she had been sleeping next to and wake him up.

"Hello…" he said immediately snapping into awakeness.

"Heehee, breakfast is ready. You're dad wanted to talk to you about what we want to do now." Bunko said, giggling at her cousin.

"Ugh, alright." Aya replied, rubbing her eyes groggily. Everyone walked downstairs into the dining room which contained a very long table. That was good considering everyone was down there. Everyone sat down and began eating.

"Before you all start, I'd like to talk to you about what our plan of action is." Ryouya said.

"How are things outside?" Aya asked.

"Bad." Kiya replied.

"How bad is bad?" Ami asked.

"Really bad. This chick has everyone on her side. They've been taking over villages left and right to use and it seems like they're all looking for you." Junko said.

"They can't get in here, right?" Shizuru asked.

"This village is protected by very very strong magic. The only people who can find it are those who already know where it is and only those with good hearts can enter it." Chio replied.

"So Keiko, Yukina, Shizuru, and the kids should stay here." Mora added.

"That's what I was thinking." Ryouya replied.

"Botan, you should go to Spirit World and tell Koenma everything that's happened since the end of the tournament." Kurama said.

"But how are we supposed to stop them?" Tai inquired.

"How many allies can we get?" Gaku asked.

"We could get our friends from the Dark Tournament." Kuwabara suggested.

"Yeah, and I bet Raizen's buddies would be on our side." Yusuke added.

"That'll help but we still need more help. We're organizing a rebellion here." Seiga said.

"Well…" Hideki started but stopped.

"What's up Hideki?" Ami asked.

"We could try to get our village to help. They're not likely to be keen on this new ruler." Hideki suggested, watching Hikari intently as she winced.

"My family too." Ami added.

"And mine." Shihira stated.

"I think we could round up some of our old gang." Kurama said to Aya.

"Yeah, they're probably already plotting a rebellion." Aya replied.

"So it's settled. We have to round up as many allies as we can." Masaru said.

"Who's village is nearest?" Beniko asked.

"That'd be mine, probably." Shihira said. "It's in this area at least. Ooh! Datenshi, you can meet my family!" Datenshi winced a bit at this, but he attempted a smile.

"When do we leave?" Aya asked. She appeared alert, but her eyes were distant and it worried Kurama.

"How about we take the rest of today to prepare and we can leave in the morning?" Ami suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Hikari said.

"We'll stay here and try to round up old friends." Ryouya added.

"Kuwabara, why don't you stay here and help them?" Aya said.

"What! I'm not staying behind again!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"They might need your help here, Kuwabara." Hikari added. Kuwabara deliberated for a second, but he eventually sighed and nodded.

"Will it work?" Reika asked, turning to Mora.

"Aya, come here." Mora said. Aya went over to her grandmother and placed her hands face down on Mora's. They stood there for a moment in silence until they both opened their eyes. Mora sent a sharp look at Aya who returned it with one of her own. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but decided against it.

"It's hard to tell at the moment." Mora replied, "But if all goes as planned, you have a chance."

"There are still a lot of decisions that have to be made. They haven't been asked to join us yet, so they haven't decided to join us. But, it looks like you were right Kurama. Our old gang is already plotting a rebellion." Aya added solemnly.

"We should go back and rest up." Ami stated.

"Of course." Reika replied. And so everyone got up and went back to their rooms.

--That night—

Aya opened the door to the boy's room slightly, wearing a black cloak over her fighting uniform, Kuro-chan on her soulder, and carrying a travel sack. She peeked at her fox as he slept and silently apologized for what she was doing. She closed the door silently as only someone who had much practice could pull off; she knew if she made any sound, he would wake up and she would never be able to leave. She turned around and cursed inwardly.

_What are you doing Aya? _Hikari asked her telepathically.

_I'm leaving Hikari. I need to do this. I won't let you all get hurt because of me. _Aya replied.

_What about Kurama? And Kaiya? What would it do to them if you got yourself killed? _Ami, who was standing next to Hikari added, obviously channeling Hikari's power.

_Kaiya and Kurama will have each other. _Aya stated simply. Hikari sighed silently.

_Listen Aya, as your teammates, we advise against going. As your friends we won't stop you. But you can bet your ass we aren't letting you go alone. _She said, taking Aya completely by surprise.

_You can't! They're after me. I don't want you guys to get mixed up in this. It's my responsibility to kill her. I should've done it years ago! _Aya protested.

_We already are mixed up in this. The least we can do is get you there. You might need us to get to her and we'll help you defeat her. _Ami rationalized.

_What about Hiei and Hoshi, Hikari? And Hideki? _Aya asked as a last resort. They both merely shrugged.

_As you said, they have each other. _Hikari replied.

_Even if you leave without us, we'll still follow you. _Ami pointed out. Aya thought about it for a second. Inside she knew she really would like their company. She didn't want to go alone, but it was the only way she could think of. After a minute or two, she sighed inwardly and nodded.

_Alright then, shall we go jump head first into danger? _Ami asked.

_Heh, just like old times, huh Aya? _Hikari added. Aya smirked and held in a giggle.

--The Next Morning—

"Kurama! Hiei! Everybody!" Shihira screamed as she ran out of her room.

"What? What's wrong?" Kurama questioned.

"Aya, Hikari, and Ami are gone!" Shihira cried.

"What! What are you talking about?" Hideki asked, disbelief written on his face.

"Shihira calm down, they probably just went out into town." Yusuke said, brushing it off.

"Oh yeah, of course. That explains why all of their stuff is gone too, doesn't it." Shihira replied sarcastically.

"…"

"Dammit Ayaka!" Kurama exclaimed. (Oo Kurama cussed) "She went after Akira. Why does she have to be so damn self sacrificing all the time?"

"And Hikari and Ami went with her. I bet that was their idea though. Aya probably didn't want anyone else to go." Hiei stated with growing irritation.

"So what do we do now?" Yusuke asked.

"You do exactly what you planned to do and let the girls do what they have to." Mora answered solemnly.

"You knew about this, didn't you mom?" Nana stated.

"She made up her mind yesterday. I saw it when we looked into whether or not your plan would work." Mora replied.

"And you didn't try to stop her?" Reika asked, clearly worried. Mora simply snorted in amusement.

"What was I supposed to do? Like anybody can stop Ayaka once she's made up her mind. That girl can be very creative when she needs to be." She replied.

"Very true." Kiya replied, chuckling.

"How can you laugh at a time like this?" Junko asked.

"Don't get me wrong, I am worried about my baby sister. But, she can take care of herself. And it seemed like the two that went with her can hold their own. And if Grams didn't tell us about it, my guess is that she'll be fine for a while. All we can do is get reinforcements. It's not like we don't know where she's going. And if Grams sees Aya dying or something, we can go give her a hand." Kiya explained. Everyone was silent for a while until Kurama sighed.

"As much as I hate to admit it I guess you're right. But she is going to be in so much trouble when we meet up again." He stated.

"If Akira doesn't kill them, I will. I can't believe they left me behind." Shihira muttered darkly.

"I know exactly how you feel." Hiei replied bitterly. Everyone stopped in their tracks and spun around towards them.

"Holy shit! Did you two really just agree on something?" Yusuke exclaimed. Shihira and Hiei's eyes both widened, they looked at each other, and then they both shuddered. Everyone else simply busted out laughing.

"So I guess it's off to my village, huh?" Shihira said.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

SIM: -wipes forehead- Ok, there's chapter 6. It's pretty long don't you think?

Aya: Yeah, nice job!

Kurama: -glares-

Aya: -backs up a few feet- What'd I do?

Kurama: If you get yourself killed, I will have Koenma bring you back to life and you wil be in huge trouble.

Aya: --; ehehe…

Shihira: Yeah! How dare you leave me behind!

SIM: So yeah, we'll let them bicker for a while. Leave a review on your way out!


	7. Shihira and Theives

SIM: Chappie 7 here! Hope you like it!

Hiei: -Glares-

SIM: Oh, come on Hiei, you can't still be mad about Hikari leaving in the middle of the night without telling you.

Hiei: -Twitches-

SIM: So anyway, I don't own anything but my ocs. Enjoy the chapter!

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Kurama paced back and forth in his room like an animal in a cage. That's what he felt like at the moment. He'd always been good at waiting, but somehow when so much was on the line, he found it hard to stand still for more than three seconds at a time.

"Careful fox, you might wear a hole through the floor." Hideki jeered from the doorway. Kurama bit back a retort. Although he still joked around, all the humor was gone from his eyes. He was feeling it just as much as Hiei and Kurama were. Having their mates so far out of their grasp didn't sit well with any of them.

"Sorry, I'm just not used to feeling this anxious." Kurama replied.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Usually I'm laid back about everything, but it's hard when I know she's in danger and I can't do anything about it." Hideki spoke in a soft, distant voice. Kurama knew he wasn't in this room anymore, but rather miles away with his mate.

"Was there something you needed?" Kurama asked after a moment.

"Oh, right…" Hideki scratched the back of his head with a smile, snapping back into his jokester role. "Shihira's parents want to see us downstairs."

"Alright, I'll be down in a moment."

They had gone on just as they'd planned when they found out Aya, Ami and Hikari were gone. It was difficult because they originally planned for Hikari to create a portal to getthem there in less time. Without her, it took them three days of traveling through Makai to get to Shihira's village. Fortunately, Shihira was right when she said it was in the same part. They'd have to find a better way to travel, or else they'd never make it to Hideki's village. It was much farther away.

Upon getting to the village, Shihira led them to a manor in the heart of the town where they were received most graciously. They were each led to a room and told to rest up until dinner since they must have been exhausted. Kurama now descended the stairs into the dining room where most everyone else was seated. He took a seat on Hiei's right.

"So Shihira tells us you work for Koenma also." Shihira's mother, Satsuka, stated.

"Yes ma'am. We were sent here to participate in the tournament." Hideki answered.

"Ah, so you'd be able to tell us about this new ruler, right?" Shihira's father, Genma, asked.

"Right. Akira is her name and she used to run with Youko's band." Shihira supplied.

"She's holding a grudge against Kurama and our friend Aya and is currently out for our heads." Hideki added. Genma and Satsuka exchanged a worried look.

"What can we do?" Aki, Shihira's older brother, asked.

"We're trying to organize a rebellion, to be blunt." Datenshi replied.

"So we were hoping the village would be on our side." Shihira continued.

"Akira's forces are conquering villages as we speak." Datenshi added.

"If this continues, demon world will be destroyed." Shihira stated.

"We're going against her, but we need help." Datenshi supplied.

"Can you persuade the elders to stand against her?" Shihira finished.

Crickets chirped in the background as Shihira's family looked frantically back and forth between the two of them. Then Aki started laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god, our little Shihira finally has a boyfriend!" he exclaimed.

"Shut it Aki!" Shihira yelled.

"Wait, you mean you've never had a boyfriend?" Yusuke asked.

"Well, er… um… ehehe…" Shihira stammered, thoroughly embarrassed.

_Mental note, kill Aki. _She thought to herself.

"Hikari must have had a thousand boyfriends. And you know Aya, she had guys all over her from what I hear." Hideki laughed. Hiei and Kurama both twitched.

"Yeah, and if I remember correctly, Ami had a new boyfriend every week before she met you." Shihira retorted, shutting Hideki up immediately.

"So back to the problem at hand…" Kurama began. Hiei's eyes narrowed and he muttered some profanity under his breath while clenching his fist.

"What's wrong Hiei?" Yusuke asked.

"They're all blocking me. I've been trying to contact Hikari for the last three days, but they must have some kind of ward or something because I can't even locate them." Hiei practically growled in response.

"Well, at least that means no one else can locate them either. If they stick to the back roads and thieves shortcuts, they should get there with no trouble." Datenshi replied.

"I suppose. Akira will be expecting us all to stay together in hiding. She'll be more surprised than we were when she finds out Aya's gone after her." Kurama supplied.

"I still don't like it. When we catch up with her, she is in so much trouble." Hiei grumbled, glaring at nothing and everything.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

"A-CHOO! A-CHOO A-CHOO!" Hikari sneezed loudly.

"Shhh! Jeez Hikari, are you trying to get us caught?" Aya reprimanded.

"Hmph, Hiei's probably talking about you." Ami teased with a giggle.

"I wouldn't be surprised. And he's probably pissed too." Hikari replied with a smirk.

"They probably all are. Shihira especially, since we left her behind." Aya added, chuckling.

"They probably would've come after us by now if it weren't for these amulets. Where'd you get these anyway, Aya?" Hikari asked.

"Oh, I've got a ton of stuff like this. Just something you have to pick up when you're a thief. It's a lot easier to sneak into guarded palaces when no one sees you coming." Aya laughed.

"You scared me sometimes, chica." Ami laughed.

"I try." Aya laughed back.

"You think they're at Shihira's village yet?" Hikari asked.

"Probably. It wasn't that far away and I doubt they slept much if at all. Speaking of, we'd best rest while we can. I stay up for first watch." Aya replied. With that, Hikari and Ami rolled up in their blankets and Aya sat back against a nearby tree to make sure nothing took them by surprise. Kuro-chan lay curled up in her lap, asleep.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"So what I'm wondering is how the heck is your family so… normal Shihira?" Yusuke asked. They'd finished dinner and had gone back to a sitting room where they simply hung out. Shihira's parents had agreed to stand against Akira so their business here was finished. Tomorrow they would set out for Hideki's village. Luckily, Satsuka had the ability to create portals and she would send them there so they wouldn't have to trek across demon world and have to fight too many demons.

"Yes, well, I'm sort of the odd one in my family. That's part of the reason I left and part of the reason I'm not too upset we're leaving so soon." Shihira replied with distant eyes.

"So my village next, huh? Can't say I'm looking forward to it. Hikari probably had the right idea." Hideki stated.

"Why? What's so bad about your village?" Yusuke asked.

"It's not the village, but rather who's in the village." Hideki replied, looking uncomfortable.

"Who's in the village?" Yusuke asked.

"My dad and step-mom. Let's just say my sister didn't really get along with them…" Hideki replied, "If we're lucky we won't have to see them. We'll just go see my mom and hopefully we can get in and get out."

"We should probably get some sleep then. We leave first thing tomorrow." Datenshi said. With that they all went back to their rooms.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Kurama sat down on the bed he'd been given and leaned back against the head board with a sigh. He couldn't sleep knowing that Aya was in danger. He knew she could handle herself. She'd been a thief for over a thousand years. She knew every way to slip under the enemy's radar. Ami and Hikari were with her, too. Between Aya's premonitions and Hikari's telepathy, no one was going to catch them off guard. And yet, Kurama had an uneasy feeling, like something wasn't right. Like there was something everyone was forgetting. A knock came on his door and he snapped back into reality.

"Come in." he called. The door opened and Hiei stepped in.

"You feel it too?" Hiei asked vaguely.

"Feel what?" Kurama asked.

"The feeling that there's something we're forgetting. That something just isn't right." Hiei replied.

"Yes." Kurama replied bluntly.

"What do you think it could be?" Hiei asked, faint signs of worry on his face.

"It's possible that we're just being pessimistic." Kurama answered. Hiei gave him a look that clearly said 'be serious' and he continued with a sigh, "Or it could be that something's going to happen to them…"

"That's what worries me. Mora will contact me if she sees anything happening to them, but it's still unnerving." Hiei replied.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Kurama asked.

"There's nothing we can do, and that's what pisses me off. I can't find them as long as they have those wards and they could be anywhere by now. They're much too careful for us to find a trail…" Hiei stated.

"Maybe you should contact Mora and tell her about this feeling." Kurama suggested.

"I'll do that tomorrow. Night fox." Hiei stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Kurama alone with his thoughts. This certainly doesn't bode well.

---Meanwhile with the Girls---

Kuro-chan's ear twitched and she jumped up. She stared off into the trees with a low grumble that might have been a growl rumbling within her.

"What's wrong Kuro-chan? What do you hear?" Aya asked in a low voice.

"Somebody's coming." Hikari hissed.

_Do they know we're here? _Ami asked telepathically.

_No, not yet. But they will in about seven seconds if we don't hide. _Hikari replied. They each leapt into the trees just as a group of demons passed by beneath them. They obviously weren't very high class demons because they didn't even notice the three girls crouching on the branches just above their heads. They didn't get down until Aya could no longer feel the vibrations of their feet.

_That was close. We should be careful from here on. _Ami told them.

_Yeah, we can't afford to be seen here. _Hikari replied.

_We should keep moving. _Aya stated as she silently jumped into the trees. _And_ _we shouldn't take the path, just in case there're more of those demons. If they've found this shortcut, they're most likely working for Akira._

_Should we change paths? _Hikari asked. Aya didn't have time to respond, however, because an arrow imbedded itself in the tree where her head would have been, had she not jumped down. Hikari cursed under her breath. They were surrounded by demons. Most of them were C class or lower with the occasional B class here and there; easy enough to defeat if there weren't so many of them. One took a swing at Ami who grabbed its wrist, twisted it behind it's back and stabbed it through the back off the head with one of her crescent blades. She stepped back and drew the other. Hikari had already drawn her katana and Aya her sais. They each moved swiftly through the hoards of demons, cutting every one that got too close down. Soon, every demon lay dead on the ground at their feet.

"What is she thinking sending these idiots out?" Aya pondered out loud as she wiped her sais clean on her cloak.

"Aya, look out!" Ami called. Aya turned around just in time to see the demon that had snuck up on her fall forwards with an arrow in its back.

"You've gotten rusty Ayaka." An obviously female voice called from the trees.

"Lina? What are you doing here?" Aya exclaimed with a brilliant smile as she caught sight of the short water wolf standing in the brush, bow in hand.

"Well, we've been trying to secure the thieves back roads since that damned Akira won the tournament. She wants to use them to secure demon world, but we've been killing off everyone she sends." Lina answered. Three demons emerged from the brush behind her, two male, one female. Aya recognized them immediately.

"Yuji! Takeo! Moegi! It's good to see you all!" Aya exclaimed. The female, Moegi, rushed forward and hugged her while the other two hung back to report to their leader.

"There's more coming, Aya, we should get back. Come with us. We want to know what you're going to do about Akira." Lina stated. Aya looked back at Hikari and Ami for their opinions and they just shrugged. They followed Lina through the brush for hours until they finally got to a place that Aya never thought she'd see again.

"Strange, isn't it? Being back after all this time." Yuji, a tall, dark haired, fire demon said with a smile.

"It's good to be back. I never thought I'd see this place again." Aya replied.

"Who are your friends?" Takeo, a shadow demon with rust colored hair, asked with a smile that to anyone else might look innocent, but Aya knew it immediately.

"Don't get your hopes up, they're both mated. This is Ami and Hikari, some of the friends I've made since I left." Aya replied. Takeo just chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"They're welcome here." Lina assured her.

_So who are these guys? _Hikari asked.

_Yeah, where are we? _Ami added.

_We're at the theif's guild. The one Youko used to lead. _Aya replied. They entered the fortress through a concealed passage that lead directly into the main area.

"Is that… Aya? It couldn't be?" they could hear people whispering all around them.

"It's gotta be. See, it's Kuro-chan." More whispered.

"You sure are famous, Aya." Hikari whispered. They sat down on one of the many couches in the room.

"So what are you planning to do about Akira?" Moegi, a blonde bat demon, asked.

"Kurama and some other friends we've made are rounding up reinforcements. They'll probably show up here soon to ask you to join." Aya replied.

"So Youko really is alive, huh? I doubt anything could kill that old bastard. We saw him at the Dark Tournament but we weren't sure if it was really him or not." Yuji stated.

"So I bet you two had a fun time when you met up, didn't you?" Takeo asked with a smirk. Aya looked away to hide the blush on her face. The rest of the demons in the room just laughed.

"Of course they did. Everyone knew about them, 'cept maybe Trixie and Tadashi. Neither of them were ever all that smart, were they?" Yuji laughed. Aya laughed at the memory.

"What happened to the two of them anyway?" Moegi pondered.

"They tried to kill us a while back so we killed them." Aya answered. Lina laughed at that.

"I can see that. That would explain why Akira wants you all dead." She said.

"So what are you guys doing?" Aya asked.

"We've been keeping the back roads clear and raiding enemy camps when we have the chance. What are the three of you doing, though, if everyone else is getting reinforcements?" Yuji asked.

"We were going to kill Akira." Aya stated bluntly. Yuji blinked.

"Just like that?" he asked, "How do you expect to get in?"

"Heh, remember who you're talking to. I may have been in human world, but I'm anything but rusty." Aya replied with a smirk.

"That incident back on the roads says otherwise." Lina retorted. Aya's eyes narrowed, remembering the demon that snuck up on her, and dipped her hand into her pocket, pulling out a necklace.

"Does this look familiar to you?" Aya asked, throwing the amulet to Lina.

"Holy shit! How'd she get her hands on something like this?" Lina exclaimed.

"I don't know, but that's why I couldn't sense it, smell it, or hear it. The fact that she has enough of these to spare them on goons says a lot." Aya replied. Lina deliberated for a moment before turning to Aya again.

"It's not a good idea to fight Akira before you know what she's up to. Your fight in the demon world tournament showed that you guys are evenly matched. If you had any desire to win the tournament you could have beaten her. But with this new information, you just know she has something up her sleeve. She always does. Wait until we know more to fight her. You should probably stick around, at least long enough for you to relearn your thieving techniques. You can't have used most of them in a long time. And we can teach your friends the basics too." Lina suggested.

"I couldn't agree more. After this, I don't want to fight her without knowing everything." Aya replied. "But we can't stay too long. Like I said, they'll be here soon."

"If these are your friends, why does it matter if they catch up with you or not?" Moegi asked.

"Uhhh, let's just say if they catch us before we get to Akira, we won't be fighting her…" Aya replied.

"You left without telling them, didn't you?" Takeo asked with barely contained laughter, "So if they find you here before you fight Akira, you won't be fighting anything because they're gonna be pissed and you won't be able to get passed them." He erupted into all out laughter as he finished.

"That's just like you Aya." Yuji laughed, "And if I know Youko, you are going to be in sooooo much trouble when he catches you. I can see it now."

"Ehehe…" Aya laughed nervously. He was right and she knew it. So did Ami and Hikari and there was no doubt in either of their minds that the same was true for them. The three of them shuddered at the thought.

"So yeah, we'll stay but we have to leave before our friends get here." Aya stated.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

SIM: Ok, so I'll leave off there. Heehee, they're gonna be in so much trouble.

Hideki: Dangit Hikari! You just had to leave me alone to go back to the village, didn't you?

Hikari: Haha! –Sticks out tongue-

Hiei: -glares-

Hikari: Oh crap! –runs away-

Hiei: -Chases-

SIM: So yeah, you guys have fun with that. Leave a review please!


	8. Unpleasant Memories

SIM: Chapter 8! Wow, I've been writing a lot lately…

Aya: SIM doesn't own anything 'cept the ocs.

SIM: So yeah, enjoy!

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

"You all be careful, you hear." Genma said with a smile as our little group stood in front of the portal that would take them to Hideki's village.

"Don't worry dad, we'll be fine." Shihira replied with a smile of her own.

"I really wish you wouldn't wear all that black, Shihira. It doesn't suit you…" Satsuka added with a frown.

"Mom, the only black I'm wearing is my shoes…" her daughter complained.

"I know, but still…"

"Just one question Shihira, before you go…" Aki started.

"What is it?" Shihira asked cautiously.

"…How much did you pay him?" he chuckled, pointing to Datenshi. Shihira twitched in silence before smacking her older brother upside the head.

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I DIDN'T PAY HIM ANYTHING!!!!" Shihira exclaimed.

"Oh, so he paid you, did he? Never thought my baby sister would become a prostitute, though I see how that would happen." Aki teased, rubbing the new bump on his head.

"AKI!" Shihira screamed, turning bright red, "I'm. Going. To. Kill. You." She went to pull out her sword when Hideki grabbed her shoulder.

"Jeez, you'd think you'd be used to your brother teasing you. You need to learn how to ignore him." Hideki chuckled. "Honestly, I do the same thing to Hikari. If she got all bent out of shape, I'd probably just do it more. It's a brother's job." Shihira glared at him, fuming silently. Aki just smirked at Shihira while his parents gave him reproachful looks.

"We should get going anyway." Shihira growled, "By Mom, Dad… Aki." She forced herself to growl out her brother's name.

"We'll get everything organized here; you just try to get us more allies." Genma announced.

"Thanks." Shihira stated before turning and jumping through the portal, followed by the rest of the team.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Aya groaned as she flopped down on the too soft bed she'd been given for the duration of her stay at the thief's guild. It was the same room she remembered from her thieving days. She had a lot of memories in this room, most of which made her blush. She had just closed her eyes when a knock came on her door. She groaned inwardly and sat up.

"Come in!" she called. The door opened and there stood Hikari, obviously tired, with a stern look on her face, "What's wrong?"

"They've crossed into my old village. I feel so bad for making Hideki go alone." Hikari said.

"Don't. With any luck, they won't even see your dad and step-mom. They said they were going straight to your mom and leaving before anyone else can find them there. Besides, Hideki didn't make his dislike for them as obvious as you did. He'll be more likely to get them on our side." Aya rationalized.

"Ok, who's upset in here?" Ami questioned with an irritated expression on her face as she stepped into the room.

"Hikari feels bad about throwing Hideki to the sharks, so to speak." Aya explained.

"Oh… well ok. Hey, aren't they going to come here after they go see your village, since they don't know where my village is?" Ami asked. Aya and Hikari looked at each other and groaned. They'd only been there for a couple of days. They'd expected to stay longer.

"I'll watch them to see when they're coming." Hikari stated with a sigh.

"But won't Hiei know if you keep watch for too long? He could get into your head and then we're all screwed." Ami retorted.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered." Aya said, pulling out a bowl and a bottle of water. She opened the bottle and filled the bowl with the liquid before drawing a rune in the surface and muttering something under her breath.

"What are you doing?" Ami asked.

"I'm scrying. It might take me a second to find them, but once I do I can watch them without any of them sensing it. It takes a lot more time than just getting into their minds or having a premonition, but it's more accurate and sneaky." Aya explained. Ami and Hikari shared a glance before turning back to Aya.

"You really do scare us sometimes." They both said in unison causing all three of them to laugh.

"Alright, what are you guys doing now?" Aya muttered to herself, turning her attention back to the bowl.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hideki stepped out of the portal with a sigh. He looked around at the houses and shops lining the street. It all looked so familiar, and yet so alien. He never thought he'd see this place again. The others stepped out behind him and he turned around with a finger to his lips. They all quieted and followed him through the empty streets to a little house. He knocked three times on the door and it opened to reveal a tired looking woman with dark hair to her waist and sharp golden eyes that resembled a hawk. She caught sight of Hideki and a wide smile spread across her face and she ushered them in.

"Hideki! What are you doing back here?" She asked with a smile as she pulled her son into a hug.

"Well, it's kind of a long story. You look tired." Hideki said, chuckling and scratching the back of his head.

"You dyed your hair?" she questioned, brushing a hand through the gold locks, "Where's Hikari?"

"Well that's part of what we came to talk to you about." Hideki said, looking back at the others. Hideki's mother looked over Hideki's shoulder, noticing the others for the first time.

"Who are they?" She whispered.

"Friends. This is Yusuke Urameshi, son of Raizen, Kurama, reincarnation of Youko Kurama in a way, Shihira, Datenshi, and Hiei." He finished with a smirk. He turned to his mother and whispered something in her ear.

"Her WHAT!?" she exclaimed with a shocked expression, "I need to sit down…" She said, plopping down into a black chair by the fire.

"Guys, if you haven't guessed, this is my mom, Eri." Hideki announced.

"My little girl is mated?" Eri asked with a look of incomprehension on her face. "I didn't think it was possible. I never thought that girl would settle down." Hiei twitched, "But then again, you do look like her type…"

"And guess what else. You're a grandma!" Hideki exclaimed with a laugh. Eri turned her shock gaze to her son, then to Hiei, and back to her son.

"You've got to be kidding me…" she put a hand to her head and sighed. "My little baby's all grown up. Where is she anyway?" she took a drink out of a cup that was sitting on the end table.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard about the new ruler of demon by now… Well, she has a grudge against Kurama and another of our friends, Aya. Aya wanted to go confront her and Hikari and my mate, Ami, went with her." Eri spit out what she had just sipped and immediately started coughing.

"You're mated too?" Eri questioned furiously. "And you didn't think this was something your mother would want to know?"

"Well, we just never got around to coming to see you. It's only been a year…" Hideki explained, scratching the back of his head again. Eri glared at him before sighing and sitting up.

"So you were saying something about this new ruler?" Eri prodded.

"Oh yeah, well, we're sort of organizing a rebellion against her and we were hoping the village would be with us." Hideki finished.

"Oh goody! A rebellion! I haven't been part of one of those in centuries!" Eri exclaimed with a grin, "Actually, I think your father's already plotting a rebellion. He doesn't take too kindly to tyranny…" Eri put a finger to her chin.

"Yeah, about that. I'm sure you'll understand… I would rather not talk to dad if it's all the same to you. Hikari and I never really got along with them." Hideki added with a pleading look.

"Oh, I understand. Hmph, I would have killed that woman ages ago if she wasn't under the village's protection. Don't worry; I'll talk to him for you." Eri assured him.

"Thanks mom. I don't mean to be rude, but I think it's best we leave before dad finds out we're here. That would be a little awkward…"

"Alright. I'd hoped you'd stay a little longer. It's been so long. You have to let me come visit you! I want to see my daughter and granddaughter and I know Hikari would never come back here." Eri exclaimed.

"Of course ma. Ummm… do you think you could make us a portal? Hikari's the one who usually does it." Hideki replied. Eri rolled her eyes.

"Shame on you Hideki, being so dependent on your sister." She teased. "Where do you need to go?"

"We were going to go to the thief's guild next. Kurama's going to ask them to help." Hideki responded, once again scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"That should be easy enough. Where is it exactly?" she asked Kurama who then told her the coordinates, "Alright, one portal coming up."

"Going somewhere, son? You're going to leave without seeing your old man?" a voice came from the doorway. Hideki immediately tensed and every trace of humor that usually adorned his face disappeared in a flash.

"That was the plan, but I suppose that's dashed now, now isn't it?" Hideki responded, barely containing a growl.

"Now why would you do that? It's been so long!" the voice replied, maintaining a good natured tone, but Hideki got the feeling he was being mocked. He took a deep breath and turned around. His face was composed in a humorous smile that showed no trace of his previous hostility.

"Yes, it really has been too long, dad." Hideki replied with a smile that to most looked completely sincere. A man stepped out of the shadows and embraced him. This man had black hair and ice blue eyes; he looked a lot like Hideki.

"I'm sure you have things to do, or else you'd never dream of leaving without visiting with us. Whatever it is can't be too important, you know your step-mother will be so upset if you leave now." Hideki's father continued. Hideki's mask faltered for an instant, but his father could not see it.

"We wouldn't want to burden you all. You two are so busy all the time." Hideki replied.

"Oh nonsense, we're never too busy for our son. But I do wonder where Hikari is. I don't think I've ever seen you without her. You two were practically joined at the hip when you were younger." Hideki's mask faltered again for longer. That had obviously struck a nerve.

"Oh she's off doing this and that." Hideki said vaguely.

"Well, there's no argument about it, you and your friends will join us for dinner tonight." His father continued.

"We really should be going. You understand." Hideki responded.

"Hideki, you will join us for dinner." A woman's voice came from the doorway that clearly said there would be no further discussion. Hideki had to fight down a snarl. This woman had bleach blonde hair that fell in waves to her thighs and grey eyes. Hideki sighed and met her gaze.

"Alright, we'll stay for dinner, but we really should be going after." Hideki replied in a pleasant voice.

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"Hikari! You might want to see this!" Aya called from her room. Hikari and Ami were beside her in an instant looking down into the bowl, "They were about to leave, but your father and step-mom showed up and dragged them all back to their house to have dinner." A snarl escaped Hikari's lips when she saw the blonde woman step out of her mother's house.

"What do you want to do?" Ami asked with concern. She could feel the waves of fury rolling off Hikari.

"I want to rip her throat out, but that wouldn't really help our cause." Hikari growled.

"They won't just let them go. It took you forever to get away the first time." Aya added.

"Maybe Hideki can talk his way out of it…" Ami said optimistically.

"I doubt it. That little witch won't just let them go." Hikari repied with another growl.

"Hikari, can you make multiple portals at a time?" Aya asked.

"Yes, but they won't hold for long." Hikari answered.

"They won't have to. Here's what we're gonna do…"

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Hideki sat down in the spot he always sat in all those years ago. He was fighting to stay composed with everything he had. He had warned the others not to eat there dinner. He knew it wasn't above his step-mom put poison or a sleeping potion in their food.

_What'd she do to you? _Hiei asked telepathically.

_You don't want to know _Hideki replied.

_Just tell me fool _Hiei retorted gruffly.

_Alright, you asked for it. _Hideki said. Memories flowed out of his mind and into the black clad demon sitting to is right.

_A little boy with black hair and blue eyes sat locked in a room with stone floors and walls, a cot, and bars on the windows. He cringed as the door next door to him creaked open. He knew what was coming and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. The crack of a whip. A little girl screaming. He knew it was his turn next. _

_An older version of the little boy in the cell walked outside in a courtyard. A girl who looked just like him leaned back against a tree. He walked over to her and smiled. She attempted to smile back, but she winced and cradled her arm. The boy's forehead furrowed with worry and he gently pulled her arm out and lifted her sleeve back. It was scarred with burn marks. He asked her a question sharply. She nodded her head. He clenched his teeth and extended his hand over her wound. The marks disappeared and the girl sighed in relief. _

_The two looked around fourteen as they climbed out a window and scaled the wall to the ground. The girl made a small yellow portal that they both crawled through. The girl beamed proudly at her handiwork. She'd been working on it for months. _

The memories faded and disappeared until Hiei and Hideki were back in the present.

_That's not everything, of course, but if I derepress anything else, I doubt I'll be able to keep up this act. _Hideki told Hiei. He was met with silence for a few long moments until Hiei spoke again.

_How old were you? _Hiei asked.

_We were five when my parents got divorced, so that's when it started. The first memory was when we were seven, the second was when we were eleven, and we finally escaped when we were fourteen. _Hideki answered. He spared a glance at Hiei who looked normal except for the fact that his teeth were clenched.

"You're not eating anything? Aren't you hungry?" Hideki's step-mom asked.

"No, not really. You know those portal rides. My stomach is still unsettled." Hideki answered pleasantly.

"Well, in that case, maybe you should all go rest up. I'll have a room prepared for you." She replied.

"That would be most welcome." Hideki replied.

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"You ready Hikari?" Aya asked, "They're in what looks like a playroom."

"Yeah, get ready to bolt as soon as I open the portals." Hikari replied.

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Hideki groaned and punched the nearest wall.

"Of course it's this room. The one room we could never get out of." Hideki growled. The room looked just like a child's playroom except it had no windows and the door was layered titanium.

"So what now?" Kurama asked.

"I don't know… last time it took months of planning to get out of this place. We don't have that kind of time…" Hideki replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well we could just jump through that…" Yusuke suggested. Everyone turned around to see a yellow portal at the far wall.

"Hikari…" Hideki whispered with a smile, "Let's go. It's one of Hikari's."

They all jumped through the portal and hoped that it would bring them to the girls.

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"Okay, they're in. Let's go!" Aya exclaimed. Aya, Ami, Lina, Yuji, Takeo, and Moegi jumped through a portal that was right across from another. Hikari waited until everyone else was through to enter and closed the portal behind her. Just as she closed the portal, six people fell out of the other portal, three landing on their feet, the other three landing in a heap on the floor.

"Hey, where are we?" Yusuke asked from the bottom of the heap.

"This would be the thief's guild." A low voice replied from behind him. He turned his head to find the king of thieves himself standing in front of the fading portal.

"Youko? It's Youko Kurama! He's alive!" was heard from nearly every demon that surrounded them. Hideki held out a hand to help Shihira and Datenshi up while scanning the faces of everyone in the crowed.

"Ayaka wouldn't have happened to pass through here, would she?" the silver fox asked with an irritated voice.

"Yes sir, but they left right as you were coming." Someone replied.

"Where did they go?" Youko questioned.

"I don't know, sir. They planned it with Lina, Moegi, Yuji, and Takeo and took them with them when they left. They never said where they were going…" the voice answered. Youko sighed in frustration before looking down at the display around his feet. A bowl of water sat in the middle of the floor in front of them. In it showed a bird's-eye view of him and the other five. He smirked and turned to Hiei.

"It seems we'll catch up with them after all. Aya was scrying for us. That's how she knew to send a portal." He chuckled.

"That's great, but how's that supposed to help?" Hiei demanded in irritation.

"Well… Aya forgot to deactivate her spell… so it's still linked with the three of them…" Youko suggested with another smirk. Realization dawned on Hiei and he chuckled darkly.

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A shudder shot up Aya's spine and her forehead furrowed in concern.

"What's wrong Aya?" Ami asked.

"I just have a feeling we forgot something… like we're about to be in big… trouble… oh shit!" Aya exclaimed.

"What? What's wrong?" Hikari questioned.

"Ehehe… I might have forgotten to deactivate my scrying spell before I left…" Aya chuckled nervously. Silence covered the area before…

"WHAT!!!!!"

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SIM: Hahaha! I love torturing them. It's so fun!

Ami: AYA! How could you forget to deactivate the spell you scatter brain?!!

Aya: -has swirly eyes- We're all gonna die…

SIM: You sure are… leave a review!


	9. Ack, Why Aya?

SIM: Hello my duckies, here I am with chapter 9!

Shihira: -face faults- Don't do that.

SIM: Hmph. Sry guys. I'm currently high off of lack of sleep so I'm full of randomness.

Everyone: But isn't that a good thing?

SIM: … I s'pose so…

Kurama: She doesn't own anything.

SIM: So last time on So Much For Retirement…

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"_What? What's wrong?" Hikari questioned. _

_"Ehehe… I might have forgotten to deactivate my scrying spell before I left…" Aya chuckled nervously. Silence covered the area before…_

_"WHAT!!!!!"_

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT TO DEACTIVATE THE SPELL?" Ami shouted.

"What does that mean exactly?" Lina asked.

"It means that whoever has it can track us anywhere we go." Hikari stated far too calmly.

"We're all going to die…" Takeo said.

"Shit…" Moegi added.

"Shut up both of you. You're not helping." Yuji reprimanded. Aya and Ami were on the verge of being hysterical and their pessimism wasn't getting them anywhere.

"We're going to die!" Ami screamed finally, beginning to hyperventilate. "Everything we've done is going to be for nothing. They'll die. We'll die. We'll all die!"

"Get a hold of yourself Ami. We have to keep moving. If we can get what we came here to do done before they catch up then we'll be fine. They don't have a portal so we have some time to plan before they can get here." Hikari rationalized.

"No, it's over. Even if we could make a plan, we'd never have time to make an effective one and carry it out. It's my fault you guys got into it and it's my fault it's over. Don't go down with me. This is my fight and I'll finish it." Aya stated with a blankness in her eyes and voice that worried the others, "I did all this so no one else would have to get involved. It figures I'd only end up leading them into trouble. Tell Hiei and Hideki it was all my fault and tell Kurama I made you do it."

"You've got to be kidding me." Hikari muttered.

"You don't really expect us to leave after all this, do you?" Ami asked.

"Hey, wait… the only reason they can find you is because you forgot to deactivate the scrying spell, right? So why don't you just deactivate it?" Moegi asked.

"It's not that simple. I have to have the bowl with me to deactivate the spell." Aya muttered in reply.

"So astral project into their camp, deactivate the spell, and get back before they even know you're there. You can wait until Hikari tells you they're all asleep." Moegi suggested. Aya blinked once… twice… three times before she slapped herself in the forehead.

"Why didn't I think of that?" she questioned.

"Better yet, how did you think of that, Moegi?" Takeo teased. Moegi folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. Her hair turned red at the roots and spread down instantaneously and her eyes went dark.

"What's that supposed to mean? I can't have a good idea now and then?" she asked.

"N-no, of c-course not. I was just joking." He stuttered.

"How'd she do that?" Ami asked with wide eyes.

"Oh right, we never told you, did we? That's Moegi's special ability that makes her one of the elite thieves in the guild. She can change her appearance at will. She's a metamorphmagus." Aya explained. "When she gets mad her hair turns red, when she gets sad it turns blue or black, and when she's happy it's blonde. She can change it pretty much any other color she wants though when she concentrates as well as her other features."

"Hmm… that could be useful to us later…" Hikari mumbled, obviously planning something.

"They can't hear what we're saying, can they?" Ami asked nervously.

"No, they can just sense where we are." Aya replied.

"Good, so this might actually work…"

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"Can you tell what they're planning?" Kurama asked Hiei as they ran through the forest.

"No," Hiei replied with an irritated expression, "They're still blocking me."

"At least we know where they are… we should catch up in a day or so. It looks like they've made camp so let's take this opportunity to stop and rest. It's getting late so use this time to get some shut eye. That means you Hiei." Yusuke said, glaring at the demon in question.

"Hn." With that they all made camp and spread out their blankets.

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"Alright Aya, they're all asleep." Hikari informed after a few hours.

"Are you sure? How can you tell?" Lina questioned cautiously.

"I did a brief sweep of their minds. Not long enough for anyone to notice but long enough to tell whether or not they're asleep." Hikari answered.

"Good, now everyone be quiet so I can concentrate." Aya said before sitting on the ground in a meditation stance.

"Right." They all replied.

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Aya felt her mind slip out of her body and materialize again somewhere else. It was always a strange feeling to be without a body, but years of practice had made it bearable.

_Just like riding a bike… _She thought to herself as she crept silently towards the camp. She peaked around a tree to see five bodies wrapped up in blankets around the camp.

_But where's number 6? _She thought referring to Hiei. She mentally checked each tree until she found the demon in a light slumber.

_There he is. Now where is that bowl? _

Aya quickly found the bowl next to the fire that had died down to mere embers. She quickly sat down and muttered an incantation over the bowl that turned the water that still showed a bird's eye view of the camp into simple clear water. Smirking in satisfaction, she stood up and turned to leave… only to be met with a sword against her neck…

"What do you think you're doing, onna." Hiei questioned coldly. At his voice, another sleeping figure bolted up and whipped around to them.

"Thanks for that Hiei, you're so helpful." Aya replied sarcastically.

"It's a talent." Hiei said with the same tone of voice.

"Aya?" a voice that made every muscle in her body go rigid asked. She turned sad eyes to her redheaded fox, mentally groaning and hitting her head against a wall.

"I'm really sorry about this love." She whispered before her body disappeared. Hiei stepped back in surprise.

"An astral projection? Since when can she do that?" he questioned.

"I'm not sure…" Kurama answered quietly before being struck with realization. "The scrying bowl!!!" Hiei caught on to his train of thought and bolted over to it.

"Dammit!" he shouted, punching a tree. "She deactivated her spell!" This startled the other four into waking.

"What happened?" Hideki questioned.

"Aya sent an astral projection to deactivate her scrying spell so now we have no idea where they're going next!" Hiei exclaimed.

"Shit!" Shihira cursed, smacking the ground. "Why does Aya get all the cool powers!?"

"…" Datenshi blinked. "I think we have more pressing matters to deal with now…"

"Oh yeah, right…" Shihira sweat dropped.

"What do we do now?" Yusuke asked.

"I guess we try to get to the palace. I mean… that's where they'll end up eventually isn't it?" Datenshi suggested.

"That's all we can do for now." Kurama answered quietly, and packed up his stuff without another word.

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Aya gasped as her soul crashed back into her body. She shook slightly as tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. She took in a few shaky breaths before standing up.

"How'd it go?" Hikari asked.

"I deactivated the scrying spell, but Hiei caught me before I got out. Kurama woke up…" Aya replied, trailing off near the end. Ami gave her a hug, attempting to comfort her.

"We should keep moving. I hoped they wouldn't find it until they woke up… but I'll take what I can get." Lina added, earning nods from the others. They all packed up their stuff and continued on the path that would bring them to the palace of their most difficult opponent.

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SIM: Okay, I'm cutting it off there because I'm nice and I don't want to give you guys a cliffhanger.

Kurama: -glares-

SIM: Eep… uh, I'm going to run now cuz foxboy is mad… sooooo leave a review on your way out. Eek! –runs away from rose whip-


	10. Oops

SIM: Ok, ch.10. This is going on nicely if I do say so myself. Sorry the last chapter was so short. It was the only place I could think to end it without giving you guys a cliffhanger…

Aya: She doesn't own anything.

SIM: Enjoy the chappy!

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Aya's party continued on the road for the next day or so, occasionally using shortcuts that would save them time getting to the palace grounds. They eventually stopped just outside the palace grounds, hesitant to continue without some plan of action.

"Hikari, can you tell where Akira is?" Ami asked. Hikari closed her eyes for a minute before answering.

"She's in the west tower, alone by the looks of it. There are three entrances, two windows and a door."

"We can get in easily. How far away are the guys?" Moegi asked.

"Only an hour at most behind us. If we're going to do something, it has to be fast." Hikari replied.

"We'll have a little more time than that since they'll have to find us once they get here." Yuji added.

Lina thought for a second before saying, "Ok, I think I have a plan. Here's what we're going to do…"

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"Are you sure this is going to work?" Moegi asked for the thousandth time since Lina explained her plan.

"Yes, now hurry before somebody sees us." Lina replied sharply.

"Fine." Moegi relented with a sigh. All at once her features started to blur and change. Her hair became brown, her eyes green, and she grew a few inches. Aya was currently staring at an exact copy of herself. Creepy…

"I hate being the diversion…" she muttered before stepping out from their hiding place. She waited for the guards to notice her before calling out, "Hey dickheads! Bet you can't catch me!"

"That's Ayaka! One of the spirit detectives! Get her!!!" they shouted out and at once, a hoard of soldiers was on her tail.

"SHIT!" she cried, turning around and bolting in the other direction.

"That's our cue. Get inside and take a right. There should be a servant's passage right there." Hikari called out. They took off swiftly and silently into the palace and found the secret door that led to the aforementioned passageway.

"From here we go left, right, left, up the stairs, and left again." Hikari informed them. Each of them already had their energy suppressed. When they got to the door that led back out into the palace they stopped.

"You guys ready for this?" Aya asked.

"Not in the slightest. Let's go." Ami replied.

TTTTTTTTTTT-meanwhile with Moegi-TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Why did I agree to this again?" She cried as the soldiers chased her through the forest. Up ahead she saw a party of people coming their way, "Go back! Get out of the way!"

"…Aya?" one of them asked, causing Moegi to skid to a stop. Looking closer, she recognized the descriptions Aya gave of her friends.

"Double shit!" she exclaimed. _Killed by guards or going up against Youko Kurama… hmm… can't seem to decide which sounds like more fun… _

"Watch out! Spirit Gun!" The one that she assumed to be Yusuke shouted. She 'eeped' and ducked as a burst of spirit energy flew over her head. It took out most of the guards while Hiei, Kurama, Shihira, Datenshi, and Hideki took out the rest.

"Aya, those guys were so weak! Why the heck were you runnin' from 'um?" Shihira asked.

"Erm… uh… eh… ehehe…" Moegi stammered, trying to think of a response.

"You can turn back now Moegi." Kurama stated coldly, making the girl freeze and sweat.

"Moegi?" Hideki asked, "Wasn't that one of the thieves they said the girls left with?"

Moegi sighed and her features went back to normal with her hair being black now with brown eyes. "Yeah… about that…"

"Where's Aya?" Kurama asked.

"Ummm… I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to tell you…" she mumbled.

"And we care what you're supposed to do because…" Yusuke said.

"Because you wouldn't want to be responsible for the death of someone as sweet and innocent as me?" Moegi answered.

"No such luck, hun." Shihira stated. "Where are they?"

"Oh… um… Look at the time! I should be going now!" Moegi replied, turning and attempting to run away only to be met with Hiei right behind her. "Triple shit…"

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"Is she alone?" Yuji asked Hikari as the crouched in the passageway.

"She will be in a moment. There's a servant in there now. He's leaving… okay, he's gone." she whispered back.

"It's now or never, Aya. What do you want to do?" Ami asked.

"Yes, Aya dear, what will you do?" a voice called from the other side of the door. With a sudden jerk, the door flew open and the seven stumbled out. "So nice to see you again, Aya."

"Damn." Aya muttered under her breath, standing up, "I should have known it was too easy I suppose."

"Oh don't worry, with anyone else, you're little surprise attack probably would have worked. I've just been expecting you. I figured you'd try something like this." Akira replied. "So I suppose you'd like to fight now? A little rematch for our fight in the demon world tournament?"

"Why not?" Aya replied, drawing her sais. Akira drew two kodachis.

"I know you'd never dream of being anything less than honorable in a fight, Aya dear, but just to make sure your little friends don't interrupt our fight…" Akira snapped her fingers and a force field formed, trapping the others against the wall. Aya glanced at them before returning her attention to Akira. "I hope you're ready for this." And with that they charged at each other, weapons clashing.

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"THEY'RE GOING TO WHAT!!!!!???" seven demons chorused.

"Sneak into the castle and attack Akira?" Moegi offered, slightly scared by the reaction to her news.

"What the hell are they thinking?" Hideki exclaimed.

"We have to get there. Now!" Kurama added. And with that the seven, now eight with Moegi, rushed off towards the palace.

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Aya rolled out of the way just in time for Akira's kodachi to miss her by an inch. She leapt to her feet and blocked the other as it whipped around at her. Their weapons clashed with a metallic 'ping' every few seconds. This had been going on for a half an hour by now and neither side showed any sign of tiring. They each had a few shallow cuts from each other's weapons, but other than that, neither had been injured.

"Why don't you just give up? You can't beat me, little Aya!" Akira jeered as she struck out again.

"Why are you doing this Akira? We kicked you out of a group you hated and killed a sister you never liked! And only because she tried to kill us! You've got no reason to hate us!" Aya shot back, earning a laugh from her opponent.

"My dear girl, I don't hate you! It was never about vengeance! I want universal domination. That's always been my goal! You and your friends are what protect the Spirit world and Human world. With you out of the way they'll both be laid out on a platter for me!" Akira laughed.

"… Universal domination? She couldn't have thought of something a little more original than that?" Ami dead panned.

"Well it may not be original, but it is an intriguing thought, isn't it?" Akira replied, blocking a strike from Aya. Aya soon did a sweep, knocking Akira off her feet and landing her on her back.

"Intriguing, yes, but it's never going to happen." She taunted, striking down at her, only to have her feet kicked out from under her.

"We'll see about that." Akira shot back, clipping Aya's shoulder as she rolled out of the way of another strike.

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Kurama raced for the palace up ahead, striking down guards as they stood in his way. Hiei ran beside him with Yusuke, Shihira, Datenshi, Hideki and Moegi right behind them.

"Where are they, Hiei?" he asked.

"In the West tower. Hurry, Aya and Akira are already fighting." Hiei shot back. With that, they raced into the palace and up the stairs.

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Both Aya and Akira were breathing hard now. They'd been fighting for over an hour, giving it their all. Occasionally Akira would stop to try and use her power, but Aya would always strike before she had the opportunity saying, "That got me last time, but don't think you can beat me with it again."

"I should have finished you off when I had the chance." Akira shot back bitterly. All playful remarks that she had at the beginning of their fight had been tossed out the window a while back.

"Coulda, shoulda, woulda." Aya jeered. She flipped backwards and parried a strike, sending the kodachi in Akira's right hand flying out of her hand and imbedding itself in the wall. Akira struck at her with the other, but Aya parried this strike too and swiftly took that kodachi from her as well.

"This ends now." Aya muttered and quickly thrust her sai threw Akira's stomach.

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Kurama ran to the door and flung it open just in time to see Aya stab Akira through the stomach with her sai. He sighed in relief. _I suppose I shouldn't have been so worried after all. _He thought to himself. Hiei, Yusuke, Shihira, Datenshi, Hideki, and Moegi entered after him to see Akira barely standing.

"You're right Ayaka… this does end here." Akira replied, taking something out of her belt. Kurama saw the dagger before he could react. He saw her draw it from it's concealed sheath, saw her hold it up, and saw her plunge it into his love's heart before she had time to react. A second passed as he stood there in shock.

"NOO!" He exclaimed, as Aya staggered back and fell. Things seemed to be moving in slow motion. He ran to her without taking notice of Akira falling to the floor as well. The force field Akira put up vanished and everyone trapped behind it staggered forward.

"Aya, sweetheart, stay with me. Stay with me Aya. You're ok, you'll be ok. I can fix this." Kurama stammered, holding a hand to her cheek. Aya simply smiled warily.

"I missed… you." She whispered with difficulty. "I'm… sorry."

"Shh. Don't talk now. Save your strength." Kurama replied soothingly. Aya shook her head.

"Take care… of… Kaiya… Tell her… tell her I… love her…" Aya forced out. "I… love… you…" With that, Aya's eyelids drooped and her body went limp.

"No! Aya, come back. Aya, don't do this to me, please!" Kurama shouted, shaking her a little.

"Oh, how sweet. I'm getting cavities." A raspy voice taunted from a few feet off. Kurama witnessed Akira stand up and lick her own blood off her fingers.

"Doesn't anything kill this bitch?" Shihira shouted through tears.

Kurama would have gladly took her on, but before he could turn around, a black blur went at Akira and the next thing anyone knew, Akira was headless and Hiei was wiping blood off his cape.

"You're in no shape to fight, fox. Not at the moment anyway." He explained. Kurama just nodded and looked back at Aya.

The others just stared in shock at what they had just witnessed. Soon though, what had just happened fully processed in each of their brains. Hikari fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Hiei knelt down beside her and wrapped her into a comforting embrace. He, of course, didn't' cry, but his shoulders shook with barely suppressed rage. Shihira promptly buried her face in Datenshi's shirt and sobbed. Yusuke punched the nearest wall and let a few tears escape. Moegi, Lina, Yuji, and Takeo stood together and stared in shock still at their friend, who they'd just met back up with, laying on the floor on the other side of the room, lifeless. Ami staggered forward a few steps and knelt beside Kurama, sensing his pain and seeing the tears flowing down his face. She wrapped her arms around him and he erupted into quiet sobs. Hideki stood off a few feet with silent tears streaming down his face. Aya and Shihira's families rushed in the room at that moment and were confused at first. Then they saw the body lying on the floor. Reika, Ryouya, and Kiya rushed over to Aya. Seeing her condition, Reika and Kiya started sobbing. Everything was a haze to Kurama. It was like someone stuck cotton in his ears and pushed the 'slow-mo' button. Nothing was processing. He couldn't think.

"We're too late." Junko whispered, falling to her knees.

No one said anything after that. There was nothing to say. They had completed their mission, but it was a hollow victory. They'd lost more than they'd gained in their opinion. And as selfish as it sounded… to them… it just wasn't worth it.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

SIM: -dodges sharp pointy object that were thrown at her- Hey watch it! You could have hit me!

Audience: That was the point!

SIM: -face faults-

Aya: Aww man! I died… again! Phooey!

SIM: Don't worry, this is definitely not the end!

Kurama: -stares off into space-

SIM: Kurama?

Kurama: …

SIM: Kurama, are you ok?

Hikari: Well that's a dumb question.

SIM: Standard question, I had to ask.

Hiei: Just review and don't kill the authoress, as dumb and evil as she may be…


	11. The fox is back

SIM: I told you there'd be more

SIM: I told you there'd be more! –Dodges more sharp objects- Hey, if you kill me, I can't write the chapter!

Everyone: -holds up more sharp object to throw- 

SIM: Eep! –hides behind Kurama- 

Kurama: -steps away from SIM- 

SIM: Hey, don't be like that! 

Kurama: -glares-

SIM: -backs away- Everyone's against me! Waaaah!!

Keiko: -sigh- She doesn't own anything.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

_What's going on? I feel like I'm floating. It's warm… _Aya thought to herself as she drifted in and out of unconsciousness. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal a desk with a big chair behind it. _I know this place…_

"Ah, so you're awake. It's about time." A voice spoke. Aya groaned and shut her eyes again. Whoever it was was disturbing the warm fuzzy feeling.

"Come on Ayaka, open your eyes." Another voice exclaimed. They seemed familiar, but Aya couldn't quite place them. That was when the memories started rushing to the front of her mind. She gasped and sat up. She was in Koenma's office. Koenma and Botan were next to her. 

"What's going on? Shouldn't I be…" Aya exclaimed.

"Dead?" Koenma finished for her. "Well… you kind of are…" 

Aya looked down at herself to find that she was tangible. It was a strange experience, being able to see through her hand. "Aww, man! I died again?" 

"Bingo!" Botan exclaimed. 

"So where am I going?" Aya asked quietly. She was dead and Koenma was going to sentence her to whatever afterlife. Paradise or Punishment? If he was to consider all her crimes as a thief back in demon world it would probably be punishment, but if he took into consideration all the times she'd helped save Human world… 

"Back to your body if you'll allow it." Botan answered. Aya blinked dumbly. 

"Huh?" 

"That was a very selfless thing you did there, fighting Akira yourself to protect the others. Stupid though. You probably should have waited for me or gone in with reinforcements. You had tons of people behind you." Koenma explained. "But regardless of that, you weren't supposed to die there, so we can put you back in your body. What do you say?" 

It took a second for Aya to process this new information, but once her brain sorted it all out, she looked at Koenma. "You have to ask?" Koenma chuckled a bit and went to press a button. 

"So when I wake up, where will I be?" Aya asked. 

"In the morgue. We haven't disposed of your body or given it an autopsy yet. It's right down the hall, so come here right after and we'll give you a portal to the house." Botan answered.

"… How long has it been since I… died…" Aya asked hesitantly. 

"Only a day or so. Everyone's gone back to the house in human world." Koenma replied. 

"Did you tell them I might be coming back?" 

"No…" Aya thought for a second and laughed. She couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces. 

HHHHHHHHHHHHHH-With Everyone Else-HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Kurama stepped through the familiar doorway into his room at the safe house. Aya's family had sent the girls, Kuwabara, and the kids here before going to help at the palace. And now they all returned here as well, one short. He felt a pang in his chest at that thought. He remembered when they first got back. Kaiya had come running out to meet them. "Where's mommy?" she questioned innocently. He simply knelt down to her level and enveloped her in a hug. "Mommy's not coming back." He whispered in a haggard voice. It was too much. He withdrew from the room and went down to the living room.

"How're you holding up?" Hikari asked cautiously.

"Terribly, but I am." He replied. 

"You guys ready to go? We're going to head out now so we can catch the next train into town." Yusuke asked, coming into the room. He, his family, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Yukina, and Genkai as well as Kurama and Kaiya were going back to their lives, before this whole thing started. 

"Yeah, I'm coming." He replied. Those who would remain in the house walked with them outside. The sun blinded them all for a moment, but they all looked up when their eyes adjusted. There, standing in the road, were two figures, both female. They all gasped when they saw them. 

"Some friends you are, leaving a girl when she's down." One of them said with a laugh. Kurama couldn't believe his eyes. "Yes, babe, I'm real and I'm alive, standing right in front of you. You aren't going crazy."

Kurama stepped forward a few steps and hesitated. Aya simply rolled her eyes and looked to Botan, the person standing beside her, who nodded. With that, she turned back to Kurama and started running towards him. She threw her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist as they spun around a few times, both laughing. They slowed and Aya set her feet back on the ground before being pulled into an embrace. 

"How?" the redhead asked.

"Apparently what they say about having friends in high places is true. Koenma brought me back. Personally, I think he was just trying to make up for pulling everyone out of retirement. That or he just didn't want his most intelligent fighter to fall into depression." Aya replied, tracing the dark circles under her fox's eyes. "You look terrible."

Kurama chuckled. "Thanks, you too." 

Aya laughed too before pressing her lips to his softly. After a few seconds the kiss became more urgent and they didn't pull away until they both needed oxygen. Kurama touched his forehead to Aya's as he calmed his breathing.

"I thought I'd lost you." He whispered. 

"I'm sorry. For everything. Leaving, taking on Akira by myself, it was all so stupid. I just didn't want any of you to get hurt." Aya whispered back.

"I know and I understand. Just promise not to do anything like that ever again." 

"I promise." 

"Mommy! Mommy!" a child called, running up to the foxes. 

"Kaiya!" Aya cried, kneeling down to hug the four year old. "Oh I missed you so much!"

"Mommy, how come you're so late?" Kaiya questioned, folding her little arms across her chest. Aya simply laughed and picked the girl up. 

"I had to go see Auntie Botan and Mr. Koenma before I could come home. But I'm back now." She replied, kissing her daughter on the forehead. That was when Aya noticed the other 45-ish people standing outside. Laughing nervously, she handed Kaiya to Kurama and faced them.

"Hi guys! Umm… I'm back!" she stated, scratching the back of her head. She was just about to say something else when –BAM!

"Owwww! Shihira! What was that for? You can't just go around hitting people who just came back from the dead! Jeez!" Aya whined, rubbing the new bump on her head.

"That was for leaving me behind, running off, having awesome powers, and getting yourself killed! I thought you were dead you jerk!" Shihira exclaimed, before promptly throwing her arms around Aya's shoulders. This lead to Aya being tackle-hugged by the other 40 something people. 

"Ack! Choking not breathing! Help!" she exclaimed, attempting to get out of the dog pile that had formed on top of her. 

"Ayaka! You scared me half to death you numskull!" Reika scolded, releasing her daughter. 

"Yeah, what the heck were you thinking, running off like that?" Mora continued.

"Erm… I wasn't?" Aya replied, seriously feeling like she was five again. 

"Exactly!" Gaku added. 

"Ehehe…" 

"So what now? Do we just go home?" Yusuke asked, getting back up.

"Uhhh… well… you see…" Botan stammered, obviously trying to say something she knew would get her into trouble. 

"What is it Botan? Just spit it out." Ami asked, still hugging Aya. 

"Um… since Akira is dead and she was the leader of Demon world…" Botan began. "The apparitions are holding another tournament to see who replaces her…" 

"And you want us to enter this tournament and make sure no wackos win because we all know how well that worked last time." Hikari finished sarcastically. 

"Ok, de ja vu much?" Hideki said, sighing. 

"Technically it's Koenma who wants you to. I'm just the messenger." Botan replied, waving her arms in an 'I'm innocent' gesture. 

"Oh, come on. What are the odds of there being another vengeful demon bent on universal domination at this tournament?" Aya offered, surprisingly optimistic for someone who was just brought back to life.

"Actually…" Kurama started.

"Shut up." Aya muttered, causing Kurama to chuckle. 

"So what do you say guys? You up for another tournament?" Datenshi asked.

"Not even in the slightest. Let's go!" Shihira replied with a giggle. 

"I'll take that as a yes. The next tournament is in a month. I'll go tell Koenma your answer." Botan stated, glad that they didn't get mad at her. 

"Wait! I've got a question Botan." Yusuke called before the grim reaper could step through the portal. "How come Aya just came back when I had to get that egg, hatch it, go into Keiko's dreams, possess Kuwabara so I could tell Keiko not to cremate me, throw the egg into the fire to save Keiko, and then get kissed to finally come back?" 

"Well, erm… Aya's a demon for one thing, so the process was a little different. Koenma wasn't testing her like he did with you Yusuke, so she didn't need an egg. We had the body right there which made things easier. And, well, Spirit World technology has just gotten a bit better since you got brought back." Botan explained hesitantly. 

"Well that's no fair!" Yusuke complained. 

"Yes, well… bye everyone!" Botan.

"So another tournament, huh? What do we do until then?" Hiei questioned.

"Well, you could help rebuild my temple since it was mainly your fault it was burned down." Genkai replied. 

"…" Aya laughed nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that…" Genkai just shrugged. 

"So another mission, huh? So much for retirement…" Kuwabara mumbled, going back inside.

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SIM: See! I told you! 

Everyone: -Cheers-

SIM: Yes, I know, I'm awesome.

Hiei: Not really.

SIM: -ignores Hiei- So yeah, review please!


End file.
